Victoria Police arrest man over disappearance of Whorouly woman Karen Chetcuti
POLICE say Karen Checuti was “overpowered and incapacitated” after going to Michael Cardamone’s house to buy vegetables.
A NEIGHBOUR has been charged with the murder of Victorian mother-of-two Karen Chetcuti, whose body was found in scrubland yesterday.
Michael Cardamone, 48, was remanded in custody at an out-of-sessions hearing at Wangaratta police station early this morning.
He will face the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court later this morning. At the hearing a police officer alleged Cardamone “overpowered and incapacitated” 49-year-old Ms Chetcuti after she went to his home to buy a punnet of tomatoes, the Herald Sun reported.
Cardamone’s property at Whorouly, 275km northeast of Melbourne, is behind Ms Chetcuti’s.
Detective Sergeant Sol Solomon said the circumstances of the alleged murder were “still unclear”, including the cause of death, reported the Herald Sun. A post-mortem will be carried out to determine how she died.
Her body was found in scrub in northeast Victoria yesterday afternoon. She’d been missing from her home at Whorouly, near Wangaratta, for six days.
Cardamone was questioned by homicide detectives in Melbourne and driven to the region on Monday before being charged with murder at an out-of-sessions court hearing around 1am on Tuesday.
Ms Chetcuti a mother of two teenagers, was last seen at the Whorouly Hotel at 7.30pm last Tuesday.
Police found the lights on at her home, with her bag and purse inside.
Ms Chetcuti’s car was found burnt out in bush near Myrtleford on Thursday, sparking the search of the area.
Police will allege Cardamone dumped the car at that location, the hearing this morning was told.
Her children, aged 14 and 15, are staying with their father.
Police have formed a crime scene at Cardamone’s house, while officers entered Ms Chetcuti’s Whorouly property midmorning yesterday and inspected two wells on the sprawling property.
SES volunteers have conducted line searches around her hometown and have searched the Ovens River.
Ms Chetcuti did not report for work on Wednesday morning and has not been seen since.
Police said yesterday they had confirmed a sighting of Ms Chetcuti at Wangaratta’s Aldi on Chisholm St between 5.12pm and 5.17pm on Tuesday.
And they also confirmed she was seen at the Whorouly Hotel that same evening, leaving about 7.20pm, but has not been seen or heard from since.
Police divers search Ovens River in Whorouly, approx. 800 metres from home of arrested man @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/HvSqdND2aI
— David Hurley (@davidhurleyHS) January 17, 2016
Ms Chetcuti is employed by the Rural City of Wangaratta and her colleagues are alarmed and concerned by her disappearance.
“Our thoughts are with Karen’s family and friends and the community of Whorouly as a whole at this very difficult time,” chief executive Brendan McGrath said. “Karen is a popular and valued member of staff.
“Karen is in her 20th year at the Rural City of Wangaratta and is very capable and skilled in her role as records co-ordinator, managing a small team in charge of recording council’s incoming and outgoing correspondence.
“She has an engaging personality and is a well-liked and respected co-worker.”
The Border Mail reported Ms Chetcuti, a mother to two teenagers, moved to the small North East Victorian town of Whorouly from Melbourne with her husband in the 90s.
They ran the Whorouly hotel before taking jobs at the council and later got a divorce.
She had just ended a relationship with another man around Christmas time, according to the Border Mail.
Ms Chetcuti, who also previously worked at Telstra, was described by a man in her neighbourhood as a “really nice girl”.
Fairfax Media reported Ms Chetcuti was on a range of committees and helped raise $20,000 to go towards the local football club.
A fresh photo of Ms Chetcuti’s car was released yesterday as police called anyone with information to get in touch. Detectives would like to speak to anyone who saw Ms Chetcuti or her red 2004 Citroen Sara, with registration XWC 149, any time after 7.20pm on Tuesday.
They would also like to speak to anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area.
Originally published as Victoria Police arrest man over disappearance of Whorouly woman Karen Chetcuti
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