Police return to site where body of Raymond Kehlet found

Police have returned to an abandoned mineshaft where the body of a man was found more than eight years ago after a major find was handed to officers.

Western Australia Police have returned to an abandoned mineshaft where the body of an amateur prospector was found more than eight years ago after a member of the public reportedly found a piece of clothing at its base in a recent search.

Raymond and Jennie Kehlet went camping 30km south of Sandstone, in WA’s Mid West, in March 2015 but never returned home.

Jennie and Raymond Kehlet disappeared in 2015. Picture: Nine News Perth

Mr Kehlet’s body was found at the base of the mineshaft three weeks after the pair’s disappearance, while Ms Kehlet’s body has never been found.

In 2021, a coroner found that Mr Kehlet had been murdered and Ms Kehlet was dead, but the case remains unsolved.

According to reports, a scrap of clothing found by a man assisting the family in a recent search was handed over to police, prompting them to return to the site on Tuesday.

WA Police said on Wednesday the mining sector had been involved in the search due to the precarious nature of the mineshaft.

In 2021, a state coroner found that Raymond Kehlet had been murdered and Jennie Kehlet was dead. Picture: Nine News Perth

“As part of continuing inquiries into the unsolved murders of Raymond and Jennie Kehlet, the special crime squad is undertaking a re-examination of the scene where the remains of Mr Kehlet were located in April 2015,” a WA Police spokesperson said.

“The West Australian Police Force has had to engage the assistance of the state’s mining sector for the delicate and potentially dangerous operation.

“The mineshaft is 12m deep, approximately 100 years old and highly unstable.”

Originally published as Police return to site where body of Raymond Kehlet found