Thursday, February 29, 2024 – Police searching for the missing Australian TV star, Jesse Baird, and his boyfriend found two bodies hidden in surfboard bags following a tip-off from the alleged killer.
The grief-stricken relatives of the entertainment
journalist, 26, were pictured today arriving at the crime scene in Bungonia,
about 124 miles south-west of Sydney, in several cars as the sun set in
Australia today.
This comes after their bodies were discovered earlier today,
ending an almost week-long high-profile search for the remains of Mr Baird and
his flight attendant boyfriend Luke Davies, 29.
Police believe the couple was shot dead in Mr Baird's
£1.5million home in the Sydney neighbourhood of Paddington on Monday
last week before being loaded into surfboard bags and transported to a rural
property in Bungonia, where their bodies were allegedly hidden under rocks.
New South Wales (NSW) Police senior constable Beau
Lamarre-Condon - a 28-year-old who had previously been in a relationship with
Baird, has been charged with two counts of murder.
Police said he gave away the location of his alleged
victim's bodies earlier today.
Two cars escorted by police were driven into
the crime scene in Bugonia as relatives arrived.
After arriving at the scene, officers took the group to the
location where the couple's bodies were found inside surf bags, covered in dirt
and rocks.
Relatives reportedly spent about 15 minutes with Mr Baird's
body before driving away from the scene.
'We are very confident we have located Luke and Jesse,' said
the head of NSW police Karen Webb, noting the families of the two victims had
received the news with relief and sadness.
'This information did come with the assistance of the
accused,' Webb added.
This morning around 11am, Lamarre-Condon finally agreed to
help police from his prison cell and told detectives where they would find the
men's remains, 20 minutes away from where police searched on Monday.
Police revealed they had worked tirelessly around the clock
to find the men since they began suspecting a homicide on Wednesday when the
couple's bloodstained possessions including a phone, wallet, credit cards, and
a set of keys were found in a trash container 19 miles from Mr Baird's house.
The discovery at the property in Bungonia, a two-hour drive
away from Sydney, follows police divers scouring several dams at another
property nearby yesterday.
The bodies were not in the water when they were found on
Tuesday. The surf bags were located close to a fence line, partially hidden by
rocks and debris.
'Whilst this news may bring some solace to the families, I
know this will be incredibly heartbreaking for them,' Assistant Commissioner
Michael Fitzgerald said. 'Our sympathies are with them.'
Commissioner Webb revealed detectives were led to the
location of the bodies on Tuesday with the help of Lamarre-Condon after he was
questioned in prison this morning.
She said: 'I'd like to say, also, that this information did
come with the assistance of the accused, for which we're very grateful and I'm
sure the families are very grateful.'
But a grieving friend of Mr Baird accused Commissioner Webb
of using inappropriate language to describe accused murderer Lamarre-Condon
during her 'trainwreck' press conference.
Mitch Swanson wrote on social media: 'Saying how GRATEFUL
they are to [Lamarre-Condon] for revealing information is just another blow to
his family and friends.
'He deserves no form of thanks at all. The police handling
of this is an absolute trainwreck.'
Mr Swanson later added that suggesting family and friends of
Mr Baird were 'grateful' for Lamarre-Condon revealing the location was 'a
f***ed up thing to say'.
Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said: 'About 1pm
today, homicide squad detectives attended a location [in] Bungonia - about 20
minutes from the original search location - where they have located what they
believe are the remains of Luke and Jesse.
'There were two surf bags that have been found, and some
debris and other items of interest that (were) located.
'We will allege he acted alone and he is the sole person
responsible for the murders of Luke and Jesse. We will allege he is the sole
person responsible for placing the bodies of Luke and Jesse at the current
location.
He added: 'Today it's obviously a mixed emotion for the
families - very sad day for them and we pass our condolences on to the Davies
and the Baird families.'
0 Comments