The families of two missing men have made a heartbreaking journey to a rural property where the bodies of their sons were found, more than a week after they were allegedly murdered by a police officer.
The alleged killer, 28-year-old Senior Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, provided police with information that helped them locate the missing men.
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, about 200km southwest of Sydney.
Police on Tuesday confirmed the two debris-covered bodies in surf board bags – thought to belong to Jesse Baird, 26, and boyfriend Luke Davies, 29 – had been located at the site.
“It is an important time in this investigation (and) we’re very confident that we have located Luke and Jesse,” NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said.
“(Their families) have been waiting for news and each day, each hour was an agonising wait … we’ve been working around the clock to find Luke and Jesse and I’m pleased that we have found them.”
Their families, who had travelled from interstate were planning to visit the site.
“Whilst this news may bring some solace to the Baird and Davies families I know this will be incredibly heart breaking for them,” Assistant Commissioner Michael Fitzgerald said.
The two men were allegedly murdered in the inner-city suburb of Paddington by Lamarre-Condon on February 19.
The senior constable, who briefly dated Mr Baird, 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.
Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty said the bodies were located along a fence line at a property, about 20 minutes from a site police had searched in recent days.
“(The bodies) were in surf (board) bags which we allege were used to transport them from the house and Paddington,” Det Supt Doherty said.
“They were covered in debris and the state of the bodies won’t be known until we do a proper crime scene examination.”
Investigators were yet to determine whether Lamarre-Condon had any connection to the property.
Investigations also switched to the Royal National Park south of Sydney before police made the breakthrough to find the bodies.
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.
He has been stood down without pay, Det Supt Doherty confirmed.
“We will allege that this 28-year-old man acted alone, that he’s the sole person responsible for the murders of Luke and Jesse and he is the sole person responsible for placing their bodies at this location,” he said.
Police earlier confirmed a triple-zero call was made from Luke Davies’ mobile phone, rather than from Mr 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 Mr 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.
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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By Samantha Lock in Sydney
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