Former NSW Police homicide detective Gary Jubelin says he believes investigators are close to retrieving the bodies of allegedly murdered Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.
Dozens of NSW Police officers yesterday scoured a rural property in Bungonia, south-east of Goulburn, with officers combing through dams and the surrounding grassland.
It came as authorities revealed the alleged killer, Beau Lamarre-Condon, may have dumped the bodies and then returned later to move them.
At the Bungonia property, police divers searched two of the three dams on the 100-acre piece of land.
A small boat was seized and has been taken for forensic examination.
The search of the property will resume this morning, however police divers are not expected to return. Another search will take place at Grays Point in Sydney’s south, where the white Hiace van hired by Lamarre-Condon was left.
“I think we’re in a good position to recover the bodies,” Jubelin told Today this morning.
“They certainly had to hold information back and release the information when they think it’s tactically the best time for that information to go out.
“But I’ve got to say, like with all the things that are coming in – you can never say with certainty – but I think they’re very much on track to recovering.”
Yesterday evening NSW Police confirmed a critical incident had been declared, opening up wider scrutiny in the investigation of the alleged double murder.
A critical incident is defined as “incident involving a NSW Police officer that results in the death or serious injury of a person”.
NSW Police notified the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) shortly after the critical incident was declared.
NSW Police is responsible for the investigation of critical incidents, and a team from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad will manage the case.
The LECC then monitors the critical incident investigation, in order to ensure that it is thorough and objective.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Dave Hudson said there were still gaps in the timeline between gunshots being heard at Baird’s Paddington address last Monday morning to the arrest of Lamarre-Condon last Friday.
Hudson said today Lamarre-Condon was believed to have hired a white HiAce van from Sydney Airport on Monday evening, after he is alleged to have killed Baird – his ex-partner – and Davies.
“On Tuesday, February 20, we will allege that partial admissions were made by the accused to an acquaintance of having been involved in the death of two individuals,” Hudson said.
“As we all know, on Wednesday last week, the 21st, bloodied clothing was found at Cronulla, causing us to launch a missing persons investigation and homicide were notified due to the circumstances in which that clothing was found.
“I can indicate that on that same day, the Wednesday, the accused, we believe, attended the Bungonia area with an acquaintance who was not involved in anything but has assisted police with their inquiries.”
Hudson emphasised that the acquaintance, a woman described as a “long-term friend”, was in no way a suspect and that there was no indication she was aware of the alleged murders.
When asked today whether she knew there may have been two bodies in the vehicle, Hudson responded: “We believe not.”
He said she was cooperating fully with police.
“We believe that that acquaintance assisted the accused in purchasing an angle grinder and padlock from a local hardware store in that area before driving to a rural property in Bungonia,” he said.
“The angle grinder was used to sever a padlock from the gate of that particular rural property and subsequently that padlock was replaced with a padlock purchased from the hardware store.”
Hudson said Lamarre-Condon, driving the HiAce van, left his acquaintance at the top of the property for about 30 minutes before returning to pick her up.
At 11pm on Wednesday, Lamarre-Condon is believed to have bought weights from a department store before returning to the property.
“We can indicate at 4.30am on Thursday morning, we can place the accused leaving the Bungonia area again,” Hudson said.
“It would appear that the accused has remained in the city area, still in control of the white HiAce van, before attending a further acquaintance’s premises in the Newcastle area and without fully disclosing any criminality, asked access to a hose to clean that van.”
Lamarre-Condon is believed to have returned to Sydney just after 6am on Friday, before surrendering to police later that morning.
Hudson said despite the current focus on the Bungonia property, it was not necessarily thought to be where Lamarre-Condon ultimately dumped the bodies.
He alleged that Lamarre-Condon may have grown suspicious that he had disclosed too much to his acquaintance and so returned to the property to move the bodies.
“We also believe that it’s possible the accused, in that gap in the timeline, has returned to that property and retrieved the bodies, and disposed of them somewhere else. We’re still working through that theory,” Hudson added.
“There are missing gaps in the timeline for us on Thursday last week,” Hudson said.
“We believe that the white HiAce van was in possession of the accused and we would like further information from any member of the public, or any acquaintance of the accused, who he has sought help from, post what we say was the time that he murdered both Jesse and Luke.”
Baird reportedly told friends he saw a shadowy figure at the foot of his bed in the months before he and partner Davies were allegedly murdered.
Hudson confirmed there had been a suspected break-in at Baird’s home in recent months, which was not reported to police.
The person fled before they could be identified.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb issued a statement yesterday afternoon addressing the investigation.
“I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird. It is difficult to comprehend the grief and pain of their loss,” she said.
“I acknowledge this week’s events are distressing for many and I share the sadness and shock about the alleged nature of Luke and Jesse’s deaths.
“I understand there are many unanswered questions and while I cannot comment on the matter before the courts, I can reassure Luke and Jesse’s loved ones, and the people of NSW, that we are working around the clock to find those answers.
“I ask the community to have patience as police work to determine what happened.
“As our investigation continues, I would ask anyone who has information that could assist, to please come forward and contact us.”
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