Summer Bay is thrown into a state of fear and urgency as one of its most beloved residents disappears, leaving devastation in her wake. In upcoming episodes of Home and Away, panic grips the community when Ziggy Astoni suddenly goes missing—sending Dean Thompson spiralling into desperation as he realises something is seriously wrong.

The storyline begins quietly, almost deceptively so. Ziggy fails to show up where she’s expected, her phone going unanswered, her absence initially brushed off as a misunderstanding. But as minutes stretch into hours, unease settles in. Ziggy is reliable. She doesn’t just disappear. And Dean knows it.

At first, Dean tries to stay calm, telling himself there must be a logical explanation. Maybe she lost track of time. Maybe her phone battery died. But that fragile reassurance crumbles fast. Each unanswered call tightens the knot in his chest. Every place she might be turns up empty. The realisation hits hard: Ziggy hasn’t just wandered off—she’s gone.

Dean’s panic escalates into full-blown fear.

Haunted by past losses and near-misses, Dean is immediately thrown back into survival mode. His instincts scream that this is serious. He starts retracing Ziggy’s last known movements, interrogating every detail of their most recent conversation. Did she seem distracted? Upset? Afraid? Every word now feels loaded with meaning.

As concern spreads, Summer Bay rallies into action.

Friends drop everything to help search, combing beaches, bushland, and familiar hangouts. The sense of community is strong, but so is the dread. Whispers circulate—was Ziggy followed? Did something happen on the road? Could this be connected to unresolved threats from the past? No one wants to say it out loud, but everyone is thinking the same thing.

Dean’s emotional state deteriorates rapidly.

Guilt begins to gnaw at him. He blames himself for not noticing something sooner, for letting her leave without pushing harder, for not being there when she might have needed him most. The fear of losing Ziggy becomes overwhelming, threatening to consume him completely. He lashes out, snaps at those trying to help, then immediately regrets it—terrified that time is slipping away.

The show leans heavily into Dean’s internal struggle.

Viewers see his thoughts racing, his breath hitching as worst-case scenarios play on a loop. Every siren in the distance feels like a warning. Every delay feels unbearable. Dean is faced with the terrifying truth that love offers no protection from loss—and that sometimes, caring deeply is what makes the fear unbearable.

As the search intensifies, troubling clues begin to surface.

A personal item is found. A detail doesn’t add up. Suddenly, Ziggy’s disappearance no longer feels accidental. The possibility that she may be in danger becomes impossible to ignore. The mood in Summer Bay darkens as the search shifts from concern to crisis.

Authorities are alerted, and the situation takes on a chilling urgency.

Questions pile up. Where was Ziggy last seen? Who was the last person she spoke to? Has anyone noticed something unusual? Each answer raises more questions, fuelling anxiety rather than easing it. Dean is forced to relive the timeline again and again, desperate to uncover something—anything—that might lead them to her.

As night falls, the fear deepens.

The search grows more frantic, flashlights cutting through darkness as hope and terror clash in equal measure. Dean refuses to rest. Exhaustion doesn’t matter. All that matters is finding Ziggy. The thought of her alone, scared, or hurt is unbearable.

Meanwhile, Ziggy’s absence leaves a haunting silence.

Those closest to her are shaken, struggling to imagine Summer Bay without her presence. The storyline captures the ripple effect of disappearance—the way it freezes time, disrupts routine, and leaves everyone suspended in fear. Even characters who aren’t directly involved feel the weight of uncertainty pressing in.

Dean reaches breaking point.

In one of the most emotionally raw moments of the arc, he admits out loud what he’s been too afraid to say—that he doesn’t know how he’d survive losing her. The confession is quiet, devastating, and painfully honest. It underscores just how deeply Ziggy is woven into his sense of home, stability, and future.

As the storyline builds toward its climax, tension mounts around whether Ziggy will be found in time.

Every new lead brings a surge of hope, followed by crushing disappointment. The waiting becomes almost unbearable, and the question hanging over Summer Bay grows louder with every passing hour: is Ziggy safe?

This arc highlights one of Home and Away’s greatest strengths—its ability to blend high-stakes drama with emotional realism. Ziggy’s disappearance isn’t just a plot device; it’s an exploration of fear, love, and the helplessness that comes when someone you care about vanishes without explanation.

Whether Ziggy is found injured, traumatised, or miraculously unharmed, the impact of her disappearance will linger. Trust will be shaken. Relationships will be tested. And Dean, forever changed by the experience, will have to reckon with what it means to love someone in a world where certainty can vanish in an instant.

As Summer Bay waits for answers, one question dominates every heart and conversation: will Dean get Ziggy back—or will this disappearance leave scars that never truly heal?