Bodies found in search for missing Sydney men
The bodies of two missing men have been found on a rural property more than a week after the couple were allegedly murdered by a serving NSW officer.
Police constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, seen here taking part in Sydney's 2020 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, is in custody over the alleged murders of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies with his police pistol. Photo: AAP
Investigators set up a crime scene at a second property at Bungonia after spending days searching dams and paddocks at another site in the area outside Goulburn, close to 200km southwest of Sydney.
Police on Tuesday confirmed the two debris-covered bodies – thought to belong to Jesse Baird, 26, and boyfriend Luke Davies, 29 – had been located at the site.
The two men were allegedly murdered in the inner-city suburb of Paddington by senior constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, 28, on February 19.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said detectives were “very confident” the bodies belonged to the couple and the find had come after investigators visited Lamarre-Condon in custody early Tuesday morning.
Following the meeting, police said they searched an area about 20 minutes away from the original search site, and found human remains in two surf bags after midday.
Lamarre-Condon allegedly twice attended a property at Bungonia after the double killing, once with an acquaintance who was unaware of the murders and a second time to move the men’s bodies to the nearby site.
Webb said the families of the two missing men had been notified, while a forensic investigation was also being carried out at the Bungonia site.
“On behalf of the NSW Police Force, I’d like to pass on my condolences to the Davies and Baird families, their friends and the LGBTQI-plus communities,” she told reporters.
Police earlier on Tuesday began hunting an area deep in the sprawling Royal National Park as they tried to find the bodies and other evidence linked to the killings.
Investigators also said canvassing was taking place at Grays Point, in southern Sydney.
Divers previously finished a multi-day search of dams at another property at Bungonia while officers continued a line search in the area.
Webb previously said the crime scene was being treated as “anywhere between Newcastle and Bungonia and to the south of Sydney”.
“It is a massive area and without co-operation it is just old-fashioned police work to work through every single lead and every single piece of information to try and locate Jessie and Luke for their family,” she said.
The senior constable is accused of using his police-issued firearm in the killing before disposing of the couple’s bloodied items in a skip bin at Cronulla, not far from Grays Point.
Police earlier on Tuesday confirmed a triple-zero call was made from Luke Davies’ mobile phone, rather than from Baird’s phone as previously reported, four minutes after neighbours heard gunshots at the Paddington house.
A patrol car was later sent searching for the source of the call, which was disconnected before anyone spoke.
But officers were unable to locate the user and did not attend Baird’s house at the time.
Investigators allege the crimes followed a months-long campaign of “predatory behaviour” by the charged officer, culminating in the fatal shooting.
Baird’s friend Isaac Muller said the former TV presenter and Lamarre-Condon had a brief encounter but were never ‘going out’.
Police allege Lamarre-Condon acted alone but divulged “partial admissions” to others before handing himself in, having travelled more than 1000km from Sydney to Bungonia and Newcastle in a rented van during his attempts to cover up the crimes.
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– with AAP