Police carry out new targeted search for Dezi Freeman’s remains at Mount Buffalo National Park
The manhunt for Dezi Freeman has shifted its focus to locating his remains but police says it’s “possible” the cop killer is still alive and mimicking a New Zealand fugitive who spent four years on the run.
The huge manhunt for Dezi Freeman has shifted its focus to locating his remains, but Victoria Police chief Mike Bush concedes it’s “possible” the cop killer is still alive and mimicking a New Zealand fugitive who infamously spent four years evading authorities.
“It’s a possibility. It’s also a possibility that he is dead obviously. But we’ve got to consider both,” Mr Bush said on Friday.
“If he is dead, for closure purposes, we really need to be able to prove that. We’re not giving up, we’ll be relentless to bring that to a resolution. Police have got to look at every angle,” he told 3AW.
Mr Bush said it was “possible” Freeman was like a New Zealand fugitive who infamously spent four years on the run.
Tom Phillips disappeared with his three children in 2021 and hid from authorities in the dense New Zealand bush until he was shot dead in September this year.
Phillips had lived in a makeshift campsite, with authorities of the view he received help while hiding out.
“You’ve got to keep an open mind. It’s possible. It’s hard to put a weight on it but it’s possible,” Mr Bush said.
“We’re re-searching an area very thoroughly at the moment. We’ll see where that takes us.
“We really acknowledge how tough that terrain is though, and we’ve got to be realistic.
“We’ll put whatever resource is required to follow a lead.”
Investigators said no trace of the wanted sovereign citizen had been uncovered since he shot dead officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart at a Porepunkah property on August 26.
About 80 officers had been involved in the physical search over the past week to no avail.
Fifty-six-year-old Freeman fled into the dense bushland surrounding his makeshift bus home in the foothills of the Mount Buffalo National Park after opening fire on the officers, wounding a third and taking aim at a fourth.
Despite receiving more than 1950 tip-offs from members of the public, Taskforce Summit detectives have failed to locate any evidence leading to Freeman’s location.
The investigation has followed several lines of inquiry, including whether Freeman had fled interstate, had taken his own life, or had succumbed to the harsh elements in the bush.
They first searched a patch of Mount Buffalo National Park on September 12 with the hopes of finding Freeman alive.
Two NSW police cadaver dogs, who are trained to follow scents to locate human remains, have been brought into the manhunt, as well as Search and Rescue members, the Critical Incident Response Team, the Drone Unit and Victoria Police’s Dog Squad.
But on Friday, police said they returned to that same area, this time returning in a bid to locate Freeman’s remains.
Police searched 0.886 square kilometres over five days, looking inside caves and conducting line searches in thick bush and rough terrain.
Crime Command Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said police search crews remained committed to finding Freeman after the loss of two of their officers.
“We will continue to conduct targeted searches such as this one based on intelligence,” he said.
“We will maintain a presence in the community, and we are determined we will see this to resolution
“The devastating loss of Neal and Vadim has struck at the heart of Victoria Police and had an enormous impact on the Porepunkah community.”
A $1m reward for information leading to Freeman’s arrest remains on offer.
Anyone who sees Freeman should call triple-0 immediately.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers Victoria by calling 1800 333 000 or visiting www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
Originally published as Police carry out new targeted search for Dezi Freeman’s remains at Mount Buffalo National Park
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