Detectives call on community to come forward with fresh leads on Marsden schoolgirl murder

POLICE will rely heavily on informants to come forward in the case of Tiahleigh Palmer describing it as a “complicated investigation”.

Police divers enter the Pimpama River in search for clues for murder of Tiahleigh Palmer. Photo: Regi Varghese

GOLD COAST police will rely heavily on informants to come forward in the case of Marsden schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer, describing it as a “complicated investigation” that needs fresh leads.

The 12-year-old’s body was found by fishermen and removed from a remote stretch of the banks of the Pimpama River on the northern Gold Coast on Thursday night.

Detectives are treating the case as a homicide but as it could take weeks to determine the exact cause of death and Coast police sources suggest that “so far there are not a lot of leads”.

Assistant Commissioner Brian Codd last night told the Bulletin: “It is going to be a hard one.

This is a complicated investigation that will rely heavily on the community and everybody who has anything to offer, so we can piece together what happened.

“We still don’t know what the cause of death is. We will need the ongoing support of the public, anyone who recognised the backpack, her clothes.”

Detectives have been interviewing Tiahleigh’s school friends, checking databases of known child sex offenders and seeking statements from witnesses around the school where she was dropped off and the river precinct.

Those interviews suggest that her friends had few concerns about her plans in the lead-up to her death.

Assistant Commissioner Codd maintains the 50 detectives in the task force would not rest until they had arrested Tiahleigh’s killer.

“There’s a log of everything police were chasing down. Police were chasing down every lead,” Assistant Commissioner Codd said.

He said it was “beholden on us” as officers to work with the community to find those responsible.

“We’ve been working around the clock in very difficult circumstances,” he said.

“This is a young girl who has had an incredibly challenging life from an early age.

“It is a tragedy.”

A Facebook page called Missing Children Australia: ­Tiahleigh Alert Page began on Saturday and has attracted strong support.

Organisers have been asking parents to start lobbying their schools to ensure a text message system that alerted them to their children attending campuses was operating.

“Six hours is a long time not to (have) known your child did not arrive at school,” the Facebook page said.

Police ask anyone with information relating to Tia’s disappearance and death to urgently call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.