Murder victim Geoffrey McLean’s head and limbs dumped in garbage bins, police prepare to search Adelaide landfill sites
Police are set to sift through tonnes of rubbish across Adelaide dumps for the missing limbs and head of Geoffrey McLean – as detectives reveal vital new details.
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Police are set to conduct intensive searches at several landfill sites north of Adelaide for the missing head and limbs of murder victim Geoffrey McLean.
Major Crime detectives believe the remains were dumped in residential rubbish bins in a northern Adelaide suburb shortly after Mr McLean’s murder and collected during a weekly routine waste collection.
It can also be revealed police have recovered forensic material from the Salisbury South scene where Mr McLean’s torso was dumped in a wheelie bin.
At that location police also recovered garden tools – shovels and a post hole digger – believed to have been used to try to bury Mr Mclean’s torso with detectives confident the material will assist the investigation.
In one of Adelaide’s most gruesome murders for some time, detectives believe Mr McLean, 55, was killed shortly after he went missing from his Andrews Farm home in the early hours of August 19 last year and his body then crudely dismembered.
His torso was found in a wheelie bin concealed under a tree on a vacant lot at Salisbury South 10 weeks later. A crude attempt had been made to bury it, but this was abandoned by his killers most likely because the earth was too hard.
While detectives do not want a likely motive revealed, they have confirmed that four violent attacks on Mr McLean – that include a firebombing and two acid attacks – in the months leading up to his death are directly linked to his murder.
Major Crime case officer Detective Sergeant Cameron Georg said police were following strong lines of inquiry and were confident of resolving the matter as investigations progress.
“There is more than one suspect and we have a number of persons of interest,’’ he said.
“As with all of these types of investigations, that number can be numerous and we work to eliminate people from the inquiry or find evidence that implicates them in the offending.
“…. I will say is there is more than one involved in this matter.’’
One of those linked to the case, an Andrews Farm man, has been charged in connection with three of the four attacks on Mr McLean – including one in which Mr McLean was attacked with a log splitter in his home.
In the last attack on May 10 last year Mr McLean was doused with a bucket of hydrochloric acid and sustained burns to his head, shoulder and arm.
The man, 62, was arrested at the scene of that attack and has pleaded guilty to charges including assaulting Mr McLean and has been held in custody since.
He has since indicated he intends to change his plea in respect of some charges and is set to appear in the District Court on Monday.
“We believe the attacks are all linked and therefore ultimately linked to Geoffrey’s murder,’’ Det. Sgt Georg said.
“The level of violence that was inflicted on Geoffrey was quite severe and significant. It is the view of the investigation team that at least one of those attacks we consider was an attempt to murder Geoffrey.’’
He said detectives “had some ideas’’ about where Mr McLean was killed but would not reveal them for operational reasons.
“It is possible he may have been killed and dismembered close to where his remains were found, but it may also have been elsewhere,’’ he said.
While the precise motive for the attacks against Mr McLean and his subsequent death have not been revealed, police say it is not related to drugs or any debts.
Detectives believe the theft of the wheelie bin used to transport Mr McLean’s torso to the Salisbury South vacant lot where it was dumped was random. It was taken from a residence in Eastview St at Brahma Lodge.
“Recent information we have obtained indicates a number of people were seen moving a bin towards a medium-sized car,’’ Det. Sgt Georg said.
While drugs are not a motive in his murder, detectives have revealed Mr McLean reportedly left his Leicester Grove home at 4am on August 11 to purchase drugs from an unknown person. He was a casual user of both cannabis and methamphetamines.
Mr McLean, who had been living with his de facto partner since early 2021, was not reported missing for another 10 days because it was not unusual for him to be away for several days at a time.
“His de facto thought this was one of those occasions and that he would just return after a period of time,’’ Det. Sgt Georg said.
“We do think he is likely to have died not long after the time he went missing.’’
Mr McLean, who was unemployed at the time of his death, left his mobile telephone at his home and police have accessed its contents, which have provided avenues of inquiry.
Det. Sgt Georg said police had received information from the public relating to Mr McLean’s murder following several pleas this week that was “quite good’’ and was assisting the inquiry.
Detectives were still anxious for a member of the public who contacted police last year with significant information and details about the murder to contact them again.
“That person was very specific with the information and it is quite clear it was credible, based on our investigations. As such, we believe that person would have further information,’’ Det. Sgt Georg said.
“From the information provided we think that person would potentially be a witness if we could deal with them directly. They could choose to remain anonymous, but we are interested in the information they hold.’’
He said the circumstances of Mr McLean’s death and the subsequent investigation was one of the “more interesting’’ he had encountered for some time.
“There are a lot of twists and turns,’’ he said.
Anyone with any information that may assist the investigation into Mr McLean’s murder is urged to call Crimestoppers on 1800333000.
Originally published as Murder victim Geoffrey McLean’s head and limbs dumped in garbage bins, police prepare to search Adelaide landfill sites
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