He had had a few drinks - but was nowhere near rotten drunk - and decided it best to meander back to the Carrington home they shared after having a tiny lovers' tiff earlier in the night.

He never arrived, and after six days without any contact, Ms Lowe and his family are fearing the worst.

Those fears are heightened by a sighting of Mr Baker near the entrance to Port Waratah Coal Services at Carrington about 1.30am, and reports from tugboat workers of an unidentified man swimming in Newcastle Harbour some 40 minutes later.

But that is where the trail goes cold: no clothing nor items have been found ashore, his phone has been off, his bank and social media accounts have not been touched and he has failed to contact any family or friends.

"He was very family orientated and very, very loyal to his friends, so I believe if he went away he would not leave us hurting," his mother, Fran Baker, said.

"We are getting through as best we can and we are part of a very supportive community, which has really helped to relieve the pain.

"We are just waiting until we know what has happened and hoping that he will turn up still, but the logic does really stack up."

That logic included Mr Baker missing his work at Hunter TAFE, which included the last two days of semester last week that "he just wouldn't miss, not let them down like that".

Mr Baker and Ms Lowe, who have been together since last September, had been out celebrating at Argyle House with friends before she went home.

Friends say Mr Baker had about seven drinks before he left.

"Personally, I don't think the person in the harbour was him," Ms Lowe said.

"Obviously he got lost that night and wasn't in the right state of mind, but he had a very heavy jacket on and big shoes, you would think he would have taken it off or left something on the shore before going in.

"I am trying to stay positive.

"If he is out there, he needs to tell us he is safe and if he needs time away, that's fine."

Water police and the Hunter Westpac rescue helicopter had been used to sweep across the harbour in the days since Mr Baker went missing.

"If any good can come out of this is that Newcastle is a very small community and a very supportive community," Mrs Baker said.

"To remind young people that if someone does not appear to be in the right state of mind, that they have had too much to drink or partied too hard, or had a fight with a friend, please look out for them."

Police are confident Mr Baker was last seen by friends about 12.40am on June 16 - the early hours of last Thursday - as he decided to leave the inner-city nightclub and head home.

By 1.30am, a young man fitting Mr Baker's description and clothing had a brief conversation with a Port Waratah Coal Services security guard at the front gates of the entrance on Bourke Street at Carrington.

At 2.10am, tug boat workers reported seeing an unidentified man swimming in Newcastle Harbour near Dyke No.2 wharf, which is situated almost directly east of the Bourke Street entrance and on the main shipping channel of the Hunter River.

No clothing has been found during the daily sweeps, although Mr Baker's family is also asking people to look for anything that might be linked to Mr Baker in and around the harbour and Hunter River, including clothing such as light grey Nike shoes or the heavy grey-green jacket he was wearing.

Mr Baker was also wearing cream trousers and a dark green striped T-shirt.

Information should be forwarded to Newcastle City detectives on 4929 0999 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Newcastle Herald

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