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Remains of 'murdered' child found beside South Australian highway Remains of 'murdered' child found beside South Australian highway
(about 5 hours later)
An autopsy will be performed on the remains of a child who police say has ‘clearly been murdered’ that were found dumped beside a South Australian highway. South Australia police say there is no doubt that a child whose remains were found on the side of a freeway met with foul play.
A motorist found the bones hidden under a bush beside the Karoonda Highway, about 130km east of Adelaide, about 11am on Wednesday. They have been taken to Adelaide for forensic testing. Detective Superintendent Des Bray from the major crime investigation section offered no other possible explanation for what had happened.
Detective Superintendent Des Bray from the major crime investigation section says police hope to know more about how the child died by Thursday afternoon at the earliest, but told ABC news “it’s clear to us it’s foul play”.
He said it was too early to speculate on the child’s age or sex, exactly how the child died or how long ago the remains were been dumped there.
“We have the skeletal remains of a young child, someone who I would suggest has clearly been murdered,” he said.“We have the skeletal remains of a young child, someone who I would suggest has clearly been murdered,” he said.
The police are appealing for any information that may assist inquiries. A passing motorist discovered the child’s bones in bushes besides the Karoonda Highway, east of Adelaide, about 11am on Wednesday.
“Somebody must have knowledge of someone who had a young child, and that child has disappeared and is not around,” Det Supt Bray said. The bones have been taken to Adelaide for forensic testing.
Police and forensic experts will return to the scene on Thursday as detectives comb missing persons records and canvass people who live near the crime scene, which is about 2kms west of Wynarka in the Murray Mallee region. Bray said police hoped to know more about how the child died by Thursday afternoon at the earliest.
He said it was too early to speculate on the dead child’s age or sex, or how long ago the remains were dumped there. But he said it was obvious the remains were that of a small child. It is believed a suitcase and children’s clothes were found nearby.
“Young children don’t disappear without people noticing,” Bray told reporters. “We’d encourage people to think about friends, acquaintances, people who live near them ... and perhaps on reflection might be concerned that a child might not be around who was there previously.”
Police and forensic experts were expected to return to the scene on Thursday as police combed missing persons records and canvassed people living near the scene, which is about 2km west of Wynarka in the Murray Mallee region.