Years-long mystery after toddler’s body discovered buried in suburban garden
The remains of a missing toddler have been found in a shallow grave in a suburban backyard in Melbourne’s outer northwest, with the current homeowner shocked by the grisly discovery.
The remains of a missing toddler have been found in a shallow grave in a suburban backyard in Melbourne’s outer northwest.
Police believe they may have found the remains of a Brookfield toddler who disappeared in 2014.
Detectives from the Melton Crime Investigation Unit revealed on Wednesday afternoon they had located what appeared to be human remains as part of their investigation into the missing tot.
The 18-month-old boy was not reported missing by his family at the time.
But the Melton CIU started an investigation into the matter earlier this year and on Monday — with help from the Missing Persons Squad, Australian Federal Police, Major Crime Scene Unit and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine — a Brookfield property was searched and remains found about 1.30pm.
It’s understood the toddler was buried in a grave just 50cm deep, metres from the back door of the home.
Seven News reported he lived at the home with his parents and two siblings in 2014, before they moved back overseas, possibly to Albania.
The current homeowner, Massimiliano Balbiani, said the discovery of the child’s remains came as a shock.
“Nobody would expect something like this to happen to them, it’s very bad,” he told the Herald Sun.
“The police are not sure exactly how long since it happened.”
Mr Balbiani, who has lived with his family at the Brookfield home for eight years, said the area had “always been pretty good”.
“I never thought about something this bad (would happen),” he said.
Police told Mr Balbiani tenants had passed through the house before his family had moved in.
