Police searching for the missing Australian TV star, Jesse Baird, and his boyfriend found two bodies hidden in surfboard bags following a tip-off from the alleged killer.
The grief-stricken relatives of the entertainment journalist, 26, were pictured today arriving at the crime scene in Bungonia, about 124 miles south-west of Sydney, in several cars as the sun set in Australia today.
This comes after their bodies were discovered earlier today, ending an almost week-long high-profile search for the remains of Mr Baird and his flight attendant boyfriend Luke Davies, 29.
Police believe the couple was shot dead in Mr Baird’s £1.5million home in the Sydney neighbourhood of Paddington on Monday last week before being loaded into surfboard bags and transported to a rural property in Bungonia, where their bodies were allegedly hidden under rocks.
New South Wales (NSW) Police senior constable Beau Lamarre-Condon – a 28-year-old who had previously been in a relationship with Baird, has been charged with two counts of murder.
Police said he gave away the location of his alleged victim’s bodies earlier today.
Two cars escorted by police were driven into the crime scene in Bugonia as relatives arrived.
After arriving at the scene, officers took the group to the location where the couple’s bodies were found inside surf bags, covered in dirt and rocks.
Relatives reportedly spent about 15 minutes with Mr Baird’s body before driving away from the scene.
‘We are very confident we have located Luke and Jesse,’ said the head of NSW police Karen Webb, noting the families of the two victims had received the news with relief and sadness.
‘This information did come with the assistance of the accused,’ Webb added.
This morning around 11am, Lamarre-Condon finally agreed to help police from his prison cell and told detectives where they would find the men’s remains, 20 minutes away from where police searched on Monday.
Police revealed they had worked tirelessly around the clock to find the men since they began suspecting a homicide on Wednesday when the couple’s bloodstained possessions including a phone, wallet, credit cards, and a set of keys were found in a trash container 19 miles from Mr Baird’s house.
The discovery at the property in Bungonia, a two-hour drive away from Sydney, follows police divers scouring several dams at another property nearby yesterday.
The bodies were not in the water when they were found on Tuesday. The surf bags were located close to a fence line, partially hidden by rocks and debris.
‘Whilst this news may bring some solace to the families, I know this will be incredibly heartbreaking for them,’ Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said. ‘Our sympathies are with them.’
Commissioner Webb revealed detectives were led to the location of the bodies on Tuesday with the help of Lamarre-Condon after he was questioned in prison this morning.
She said: ‘I’d like to say, also, that this information did come with the assistance of the accused, for which we’re very grateful and I’m sure the families are very grateful.’
But a grieving friend of Mr Baird accused Commissioner Webb of using inappropriate language to describe accused murderer Lamarre-Condon during her ‘trainwreck’ press conference.
Mitch Swanson wrote on social media: ‘Saying how GRATEFUL they are to [Lamarre-Condon] for revealing information is just another blow to his family and friends.
‘He deserves no form of thanks at all. The police handling of this is an absolute trainwreck.’
Mr Swanson later added that suggesting family and friends of Mr Baird were ‘grateful’ for Lamarre-Condon revealing the location was ‘a f***ed up thing to say’.
Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said: ‘About 1pm today, homicide squad detectives attended a location [in] Bungonia – about 20 minutes from the original search location – where they have located what they believe are the remains of Luke and Jesse.
‘There were two surf bags that have been found, and some debris and other items of interest that (were) located.
‘We will allege he acted alone and he is the sole person responsible for the murders of Luke and Jesse. We will allege he is the sole person responsible for placing the bodies of Luke and Jesse at the current location.
He added: ‘Today it’s obviously a mixed emotion for the families – very sad day for them and we pass our condolences on to the Davies and the Baird families.’
