By Catherine Naylor and Nick Newling
A body believed to be that of an elderly Sydney man missing for a month has been found at a rural Hawkesbury property, 24 hours after another man was arrested over his disappearance.
The family of 82-year-old Edwin Dobbin reported him missing from his home in Leppington on September 25, saying they held serious concerns for the welfare of the miniature horse breeder because of his medical conditions.
Edwin Dobbin, 82, was reported missing on September 25.
On Thursday, police arrested 67-year-old Phillip Robert Bruce at a home in Smithfield and charged him with murder, hindering a police investigation and unlawfully disposing of a corpse. Detectives said they believed Dobbin had been shot.
After Bruce’s arrest, police executed a search warrant on a property at Upper Colo, north of Richmond, where they believed Dobbin’s body had been buried.
In a statement on Friday afternoon police announced they had found a body.
“While the body is yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be that of the missing man,” they said.
Bruce, whom police say knew Dobbin, did not apply for bail when he appeared at Fairfield Local Court on Friday. The matter was adjourned to December 19 at Parramatta Local Court.
Police allege Bruce told them conflicting information multiple times about the disappearance of Dobbin, who was last seen in Leppington at 6.45am on September 25.
Dobbin’s friends called for help finding him on Facebook last month, describing him as a lovely man and a gentleman, who had a good sense of humour and enjoyed having a chat with people at local horse shows.
The Dobbin family runs a horse showing and breeding company in Leppington specialising in miniature horses. Before he retired, Dobbin had manufactured sulkies – lightweight carts for harness racing.
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