Man arrested in Italy 47 years after Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett found murdered in Easey St Melbourne home

The arrest follows a 47-year police investigation into the murders of Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett, who were found dead in their inner-city Melbourne home.

Suzanne Armstrong with son Gregory.

A man has been arrested in Italy in connection with the notorious Easey St murders, nearly 50 years after Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett were found dead in their inner-city Melbourne home.

The 65-year-old dual citizen of Australia and Greece is in custody after he was arrested at a Rome airport on Thursday evening.

The breakthrough in Victoria Police’s investigation comes almost 50 years after Ms Armstrong, 27, and Ms Bartlett, 28, were brutally murdered in their Easey St home in Melbourne’s inner-city suburb of Collingwood on January 13, 1977.

Ms Armstrong’s 16-month-old son was found unharmed in his cot when police discovered Ms Armstrong and Ms Bartlett’s bodies.

Ms Armstrong and Ms Bartlett, who were last seen alive on the evening of January 10, 1977, had been stabbed multiple times.

Susan Bartlett.

The arrest on Thursday follows a 47-year police investigation into the women’s deaths.

The investigation remains ongoing, and Victoria Police said in a statement on Saturday that it would work to seek the 65-year-old man’s extradition to Victoria.

A charge and warrant had been in place for the man’s arrest, and the Herald Sun reports he left Australia in 2017.

Victoria Police’s chief commissioner Shane Patton said while there was still “some way to go”, the arrest was an “important breakthrough”.

“For over 47 years, detectives from the Homicide Squad have worked tirelessly to determine who was responsible for the deaths of Suzanne Armstrong and Susan Bartlett,” Mr Patton said.

The house in Easey St, Collingwood.

“The Easey St murders, as they came to be known, have always been a priority for Victoria Police and an enormous amount of work has been done by many, many people to bring us to the position we are in today.

“As well as the Homicide Squad, this includes a large number of police and staff from a range of specialist areas across the organisation. All have been wholly committed to finding answers and holding those responsible for these deaths to account.”

Mr Patton said he wanted to recognise the “enduring resilience” of the Armstrong and Bartlett families.

“I hope this arrest brings you closer to the answers you so richly deserve and have waited so long for,” he said.

“This was a crime that struck at the heart of our community – two women in their own home, where they should have felt their safest.”

In January 2017, police announced a $1m reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the deaths of Ms Armstrong and Ms Bartlett.