Grisly find reopens wounds of Milat's killing field at Belanglo State Forest
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- August 31, 2010
Police investigate the grim discovery in the Belanglo State Forest on Sunday. Picture: Cameron Richardson Source: The Daily Telegraph
Officers comb the area where the remains were found by trail bike riders. Source: Police Media Source: Supplied
Backpacker murderer Ivan Milat condemned seven victims to bush graves. Picture: Gary Ramage Source: The Daily Telegraph
of 3
The site is 2km away from where Milat's other victims were found. Source: Police Media Source: Supplied
Victorian Deborah Everist is among Milat's backpacker murder victims Source: Supplied
Simone Schmidl was a 21-year-old German backpacker killed by Milat Source: Supplied
Briton Joanne Walters' remains were also found in Belanglo State Forest Source: Supplied
of 4
BENEATH a blue tarpaulin, off a deserted fire trail in a remote section of the Belanglo State Forest, lies the hopes and fears of more than a dozen families.
The discovery of an almost intact skeleton on Sunday has sparked a frenzy of theories.
Given the remains were located in the notorious killing fields of Ivan Milat, police are not ruling out the possibility of another backpacker murder victim.
And as they wait for forensic experts to attempt to put a name to the bones, the families of up to 15 NSW women who have vanished over the past three decades are wondering if the fate of their loved one will be revealed.
A trail bike rider discovered the skull, spine, pelvis and at least one femur lodged under a log in dense bushland on Sunday, close to an area known as Dalys Waterhole.
Police said the skeleton, and a clump of long hair lying next to it, was located in a section of the forest not previously searched.
The exact site where the remains were found is outside the area combed by police when the bodies of Milat's seven victims from England, Germany and Australia were located in 1992 and 1993.
Like Milat's victims, the remains were found beside a large fallen tree a short distance from a fire trail. The body may have been exposed by hazard reduction burning.
The trail bike rider said he knew it was a human skeleton the minute he saw it.
"We did a U-turn and as we turned back, the skull flicked up," the man, who gave his name as Dave, said.
"There were no clothes with it, just bones."
The skeleton was found about 2km from where the bodies of Milat's other victims were found.
Last night, a woman at the Chatswood home of Milat's brother, Richard, said they "would not be commenting".
Specialist forensic investigators as well as veteran cold case experts, were taken into the sealed-off area of the forest yesterday to examine the skeleton, which was not removed from the bush until last night.
Strike Force Hixon has been established to investigate.
"Obviously there is a lot of speculation surrounding this discovery but we will definitely not be jumping to any conclusions," Acting Superintendent Evan Quarmby said.
The skeleton will today undergo a post mortem examination to determine the cause of death and how long the remains had been in the bush.
Supt Quarmby said it was too early to say if the discovery was another Milat victim.
