Murder charge after partially buried body uncovered
A man has been charged after human remains were found covered on a property in northwest Sydney. Photo: AAP
A week-long manhunt is over with police charging a man with murder after human remains belonging to missing man John Birch were found partially buried in a semi-rural paddock.
Police had been searching for the man hours earlier after his family reported his disappearance the night.
NSW Police believed he might have been missing for several days.
Detective Superintendent Naomi Moore said a man was arrested at a property in Glenorie about 2.15pm on Sunday after a week-long manhunt.
Detectives found the 24-year-old man sleeping in a car at the back of an address authorities had visited multiple times last week searching for him.
“He’s probably a little bit tired right now, probably hasn’t eaten a lot,” Moore said on Sunday.
The man was taken to Castle Hill Police Station where he was charged with murder.
He was refused bail to appear before Parramatta Local Court on Monday.
John Birch’s body was found in long grass. Photo: Supplied
Moore thanked the Glenorie community for their patience after having their lives disrupted by police searching for the suspect.
“The community were no doubt in fear while they waited for us to be able to do our jobs, and that’s why today is such a good day for us to be able to alleviate that fear,” she said.
She reassured locals there were no ongoing threats.
“These people were known to each other. It wasn’t a random attack,” she said.
Moore said an autopsy wasinconclusive but reports suggested Birch died from blunt force trauma.
Two men and a woman aged in their 20s and 30s, who police said were known to Birch, were previously arrested. They have since been released pending further investigation.
Police are still looking to speak to several people who remain “a bit more challenging to find”, but Moore hoped they would come forward after the latest arrest.
-AAP
