Jake Bradford disappearance: Kayle Adam Hansen pleads guilty to manslaughter after human remains found

Just days before he was set to face trial, a man has made an admission in relation to a 21-year-old who vanished more than two years ago.

A man has admitted he killed a 21-year-old who vanished more than two years ago in regional Victoria.

Kayle Adam Hansen, 27, pleaded guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court on Wednesday morning to the manslaughter of Jake Bradford in January 2023.

Mr Bradford was reported missing by his mother on January 29 and Hansen was arrested two months later and accused of murder.

By his plea, Hansen admitted Mr Bradford was killed five days earlier in the Gippsland farming locality of Foster North, about 150km from his home in Rosebud.

Jake Bradford was killed in January 2023. Picture: Supplied

In October last year, Victoria Police announced they’d found human remains, believed to be Mr Bradford, in bushland off Dollar-Woorarra West Rd in Dollar – about 10km from where he was killed.

At the time, Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Burnett said the human remains were found a day before what would have been Mr Bradford’s 23rd birthday.

“Our heartfelt thoughts are with Jake’s family and friends today on what would have been Jake’s 23rd birthday,” he said.

“The past 18 months have been an incredibly difficult time for them and their grief remains as raw as ever.

“We hope that this will bring the closure they need and Jake can finally be laid to rest.”

The 21-year-old was missing for more than 18 months. Picture: Supplied

Hansen had been set to face a murder trial next week that has now been vacated.

He was instead remanded into custody ahead of a presentence hearing in April to allow time for him to undergo a psychological assessment.

Originally published as Jake Bradford disappearance: Kayle Adam Hansen pleads guilty to manslaughter after human remains found