Major Crime detectives investigating ‘deliberately lit’ house fire after man’s body found in Port Lincoln

The woman appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday via phone-link from hospital in Port Lincoln.

A former reality TV show contestant has been charged with murder, and with disposing of human remains to pervert the course of justice, following a suspicious house fire at Port Lincoln.

As first reported by The Advertiser late on Thursday, SA Police are trying to piece together a “complex crime scene” at a burned Flinders Highway home, inside which a man’s body was found.

A woman, 34, who was at the scene, was conveyed to hospital where she was arrested and charged with those two offences.

Early on Friday, she was further charged with one count of having assaulted a police officer.

The woman is now being held under a mental health detention order, and her identity has been suppressed by court order.

SA Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott told a media conference there “were a lot of unanswered questions” surrounding the incident.

He confirmed the pair were in a relationship and both lived at the property, but did not know if they were married.

“There’s a number of inquiries to be made and there’s a number of things that we still don’t know,” he said.

“It is such a complex scene that we have got there, so it will take some time to understand the exact nature of what’s occurred.

“It is too early on what the cause of death is, the scene is a very complex scene so it will take some time for our investigators in the forensic services branch to work through throughout (Friday).”

Mr Parrot said police were investigating whether domestic violence played a part in the man’s death.

He would not comment on if a weapon was recovered from the address, nor how long the body was at the scene before being discovered.

SA Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Parrott said the scene at Port Lincoln was “very complex”. Picture: Russell Millard

Late on Thursday, the woman appeared by telephone link with the Adelaide Magistrates Court from the Port Lincoln Hospital.

Asked whether she could hear the connection, she said “hello”.

Counsel for the woman made no application for bail and was remanded in custody under a mental health order, meaning she will be held in a treatment facility rather than a prison cell.

A police prosecutor asked Magistrate Ben Sale to impose suppression orders on the woman’s identity, the identity of the dead man and all details regarding the cause and circumstances of his death.

She told the court the dead man’s family had yet to be notified and the crime scene had “yet to be contained” as the complex investigation continued.

Mr Sale made the orders but said he would call the matter back on next Friday to review whether those suppressions needed to remain in force.

He further ordered the woman face court again in December for a hearing at which prosecutors will finalise their case.

Police and emergency services were called to the scene just before 3.30pm on Thursday following reports of the fire.

The fire was extinguished, but police confirmed they believed it to be deliberately lit.

Local residents say they were stunned to come home and find the driveway blocked off with crime scene tape.

Jody Miller and Vance Mundy said they were shocked to learn of the fatal incident.

“Yeah, it’s just sad,” Mr Mundy said.

“I was on the other side of town (when the fire happened), came back later … yeah it was a shock for me.”

Mr Miller said he would often see the woman in passing.

He said she was in a relationship with the alleged victim and had moved into the unit he was staying in several months ago.

“She seemed normal, she was good,” he said.

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church is not far from the crime scene. Pastor Simon Mackenzie said the incident would deeply affect their tight-knit community.

“People will be in shock,” he said.

“They’ll be grieving. They’ll be trying to connect dots. They need to debrief.”

“It’s quite surreal because it was (so close).

“For those who have been affected by this tragic situation, they’re more than welcome to the church. We can have a chat.

“We just pray that God’s peace be over those that were affected. And we pray that there may be healing.”

Long-time residents said they were especially rattled by the incident occurring along Flinders Hwy, an area generally known to have quite affluent homes.

Police reassured the local community on Thursday night that there were no ongoing safety concerns and the man and women were known to each other.

An SA Ambulance spokeswoman confirmed a woman had been taken to hospital following the blaze.

Originally published as Major Crime detectives investigating ‘deliberately lit’ house fire after man’s body found in Port Lincoln