Victoria
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Victoria News
Save
Print
License article

Karen Ristevski case: New CCTV footage of car could provide key breakthrough

Ebony Bowden
220 reading now

Detectives have released new CCTV footage which could unlock a major breakthrough in the murder of Karen Ristevski.

The vision taken in Diggers Rest on June 29 last year  - the day Mrs Ristevski was reported missing - shows a black Mercedes-Benz SLK coupe travelling at about 11.12am towards Mount Macedon, the area her body was found.

Up Next

Innocent man shot dead after identity mistaken

null
Video duration
00:30

More Victoria News Videos

null
Video duration
01:05

CCTV may hold clues to Karen Ristevski's ...
null
Video duration
01:06

Legal trouble for trio
null
Video duration
00:31

Apartment fire in Southbank
null
Video duration
00:33

CCTV: indecent assault in Melbourne CBD
More videos

CCTV may hold clues to Karen Ristevski's death

Police have released vision of a black Mercedes coupe driving near Diggers Rest on the day the mother was said to have gone missing.

It's believed the car could have belonged to Mrs Ristevski, 47, who owned a 2004 Mercedes exactly like the one caught on camera.

Unfortunately the registration isn't visible in the vision taken from the Diggers Rest railway station crossing on the Old Calder Highway.

Detectives have tracked down the owners of similar Mercedes-Benz coupes to discuss  their movements on the day the picture was taken. A small number of owners still need to be interviewed.

The body of Mrs Ristevski was found in bushland at Mount Macedon on February 20, seven months after she was last seen at her Avondale Heights home on June 29 by husband Borce Ristevski.

Advertisement

Mr Ristevski remains a key person of interest in the case and police have not ruled him out as the driver of the vehicle.

Investigators are appealing for anyone who saw the black Mercedes-Benz in Diggers Rest or the surrounding areas to contact Crime Stoppers.

They are particularly urging anyone who might have seen the vehicle about midday in the Mount Macedon area where Mrs Ristevski's body was found to come forward.

Images have been released of a number of other vehicles in the same CCTV footage, including a white Ford Ranger ute towing a trailer with a yellow mini-excavator, in the hope anyone who recognises them will speak to police.

Mrs Ristevski's remains were found between two logs, not far from a dirt track off Loch Road in Mount Macedon Regional Park.

Mr Ristevski said the couple had an argument over financial issues before his wife left their home to go for a walk to "clear her head".

But she never returned and her phone and bank accounts were never used again.

Mr Ristevski reportedly told detectives he had driven his wife's 2004 Mercedes-Benz coupe on the day she disappeared to test a faulty fuel gauge. He said the car hit a bump in the road and the problem fixed itself, so he turned around and returned home.

Police would like to speak to the owners of vehicles in the Diggers Rest area on June 29, 2016, including this white ute.

Police would like to speak to the owners of vehicles in the Diggers Rest area on June 29, 2016, including this white ute. Photo: Supplied

Mr Ristevski's brother, Vasko Ristevski, claimed his sister-in-law was alive and well, and had fled overseas using a fake passport.

Meanwhile, Mr Ristevski's son from a previous relationship, Anthony Rickard, told various media outlets there was conflict within the family and his stepmother had fled.

Borce Ristevski and Mr Rickard have been interviewed by police. Fairfax Media is not suggesting either was involved in Ms Ristevski's disappearance.

Anyone with more information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.

with Tammy Mills, Cameron Houston