A man accused of murdering a woman before her body was found at a tip in Melbourne’s north has faced court.

Stephen Fleming, 45, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday wearing a blue jumper, with the majority of his head shaved and some hair remaining at the back.

Prosecutor Connor Rattray said his office needed 20 weeks to allow for multiple crime scenes to be recreated and forensics details to be gathered.

Magistrate Louise Wildberger granted the prosecution the time to gather the evidence. A brief in the case is expected to be handed up on November 27.

Fleming was remanded in custody, with his next court appearance set down for January 8, 2025.

His lawyer Jessica Clarebrough said her client had no custody management issues.

Fleming looked at the bar table and said “thank you” with a nod before he left court with custodial officers.

The 45-year-old, who police have alleged was known to the victim, was arrested in nearby Glenroy and questioned by detectives throughout Tuesday. He was charged with murder on Tuesday night.

Annette Brennan’s body found after being stuffed in a bin. Photo: Supplied

The dead woman has been identified in media reports as 67-year-old English teacher Annette Brennan. She is believed to be the 48th woman killed in Australia so far this year.

Investigators believe Brenna’s body was in a domestic bin that was picked up in a regular waste collection in Hilgay Street, Coolaroo, on Tuesday. Workers found it while moving green waste at the tip in nearby Epping on July 3.

Victoria Police have said Brennan and Fleming are not related, but are believed to be known to each other.

Brennan taught English for academic purposes online. One of her former students, Simona Croce, told the Herald Sun she was devastated by the teacher’s death.

“She was an amazing person. She was gentle and kind – it’s such a terrible loss,” Croce said.

“It was really sad news to hear how this happened … that she was found in the bin. Honestly, I was really shocked, she didn’t deserve this.

“Other students that I took the class with are also so upset by her death. It’s really tragic news.

“I will never forget how kind she was to me. She was like a second mum because I was out here by myself from Italy and she was always checking in on me.”

Anyone who saw suspicious behaviour in Coolaroo between June 23 and July 2 has been asked to come forward. Detectives are also looking at CCTV and dashcam footage from the area during that time and want to speak to anyone with relevant vision.

It is at least the third time a woman’s remains have been found in a bin or tip in Victoria in recent years.

In March, the remains of 35-year-old Point Cook woman Chaithanya “Swetha” Madhagani were discovered in a padlocked wheelie bin at Buckley, south-west of Geelong.

At the time, Victoria Police said they wanted to speak to Madhagani’s husband, who fled to overseas with the couple’s son.

Just over three years ago, the remains of mother Ju “Kelly” Zhang were found at a landfill in Wollert, a few kilometres from the Epping tip.

In 2023, Zhang’s boyfriend Joon Seong Tan was found guilty of stabbing her in her bedroom in 2021 and dumping her body in a wheelie bin. He is serving up to 28 years in jail over the murder.

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-with AAP