Teen boy found dead in bushland at Wilton, police treating as suspicious

A man has been charged with murder after the body of a 15-year-old was discovered in bushland in Sydney’s southwest.

Police at a roadblock on Wilton Park Rd in Wilton, where they established a crime scene on Saturday. Picture: Damian Shaw

A man has been charged with murder overnight, following the discovery of the body of a 15-year-old boy in bushland in Sydney’s southwest.

NSW Police were called to Wilton Park Rd, Wilton at 7.25am on Saturday morning after a welfare check call was made, discovering the teenager’s body in the bush.

Just hours later, a 32-year-old man was in custody, following a public appeal from officers.

Police will allege in court the man stabbed the teen during a physical altercation.

Mourners drove to the scene to lay flowers on Sunday morning.

Two women and a man hopped out of a black SUV and placed a small bouquet of red roses at the side of the road, where the road was stained a dark red, amid the deafening scream of cicadas in the bushland.

The teenager and his friends had been camping near a weir on the Nepean River, in a picturesque part of the Wollondilly countryside surrounded by farmland.

Flowers at a location on Wilton Park Rd around where the body boy was discovered with stab wounds. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers

Earlier, on Saturday, Acting Superintendent Tim Calman said on Saturday a group of about a dozen teens, who were last night being questioned by police, had been camping in the area on Friday evening before the teen’s body was discovered.

“The information we have at this stage is that there may have been a group who were camping in that area and we believe persons associated with that group may have been involved,” he said.

NSW Police have established a crime scene in Sydney’s south-west after the body of a teenage boy was located earlier today. Emergency services responded to reports about 7.25am (Saturday 9 November 2024), that a body had been located in bushland off Wilton Park Road, Wilton. Officers from Camden Police Area Command have secured a crime scene and are awaiting the arrival of specialist police. Picture: ABC News

Superintendent Calman said that, apart from a welfare check made on Saturday morning, there was no alarm raised by the group of teens, who were all believed to be friends.

“Police are speaking a number of witnesses and we’re canvassing the local area, premises, service stations, everything down there that may lead us to give us some an idea of what’s actually happened,” Superintendent Calaman said.“There would be evidence at the scene that indicates it happened in the area where this person has been located ... we’ll have a clearer idea when that area has been processed.

The body was found in bushland off Wilton Park Rd, Wilton about 7.30am. Picture: Damian Shaw

He said investigators believed the incident occurred on Friday evening, but they were not notified until 7.35am the following morning.

Police cordon off the crime scene at Park Rd in Wilton on Saturday. Picture: Damian Shaw

Police on Saturday confirmed they were following “multiple lines of inquiry”.

The 15-year-old was not previously known to police, he said, and confirmed the teen’s family had been notified of his death.

“It’s a tragic event for this young person to be involved in,” he said.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends as they go through this tough time. Police will continue to support them as we try to get to the bottom of what actually happened.”

Police are urging anyone travelling on or around Wilton Rd at around 6pm Friday with dashcam footage or CCTV to contact Camden police or crime stoppers.

The 32-year-old man was refused bail to appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday.