Police continue investigations at Kudla bunker during search for missing man Steven Murphy

Police say they have identified a suspect in an alleged homicide at a Kudla property after human remains were found on Tuesday.

Police have revealed a suspect has been identified and items seized from a bunker believed to be the scene of a homicide at Kudla, south of Gawler.

Human remains were found inside a large man-made bunker measuring 15m by 15m inside a shed at a property’s rear on Tuesday evening during a search for the body of missing man Steven Murphy.

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Major Crime Detective Inspector Mark McEachern said formal identification had not yet been finalised, but police were not ruling out that the remains could belong to Mr Murphy.

Det Insp McEachern said a suspect had been identified in relation to the alleged murder, with the possibility that another person was involved, but he would not comment further as to who the suspect was or where they lived.

“There are people who are on the periphery of these things who get involved and we’ll certainly be looking closely at that,” he said.

On Wednesday, police seized evidence from the rear shed and “gravesite” within the bunker, which they believed had been dug over a “long period of time” but not completed by the time of the discovery.

Det. Insp Mark McEachern behind the shed on the Kulda property during the search on Tuesday. Picture NCA NewsWire/Mark Brake

Missing man Steven, 38, was last seen at Kudla on Wednesday, February 15. Picture: SA Police

There is speculation Mr Murphy was sleeping in a swag at various locations around Kudla. Picture: Facebook

Det Insp McEachern said police believed the body had been inside the bunker for “up to six weeks” and had spoken to Mr Murphy’s family since making the discovery.

“There’s a possibility that it is Mr Murphy but we’re not in a position to confirm at this stage … we’re open-minded as well to the fact it could be another person,” he said.

“We’d be hoping (to identify the remains) within days. We’ve spoken to Mr Murphy’s relatives and advised them there’s been a development, but we can’t confirm to them that it is actually Steven.”

Police swooped on the Ormsby Rd property on Monday, after receiving a “credible” tip-off that Mr Murphy’s body could be there.

There had been speculation online Mr Murphy was sleeping in a swag at various locations around the township and may have been squatting in the shed.

During the raid on Monday, police allegedly found 20 cannabis plants being hydroponically grown in a rear shed, along with a .22 rifle and ammunition.

Major Crime and Barossa CIB detectives remove the body from the property. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Police search for Mr Murphy’s body at the Kudla property. Picture: 7NEWS

Kudla man Keith Yandle, 45, was arrested by police and appeared via video link in Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Monday, charged with a range of firearm and drug trafficking offences.

Mr Yandle‘s charges are not linked to the tip-off about the missing man, and The Advertiser does not suggest any wrongdoing by Mr Yandle in relation to the discovery of the remains.

Mr Yandle‘s defence counsel, Stephen Ey, ordered a home detention report, telling the court it was a “complicated matter” and time was needed to establish the charges – but did not elaborate any further.

Several tonnes of dirt were removed from the property on Tuesday, along with several cannabis plants, bulbs and reflective sheets.

A Hazmat vehicle from the Dalkeith Country Fire Service also arrived at the property just after 10.30am and was directed to the rear of the property.

The man will return to court later this month.