Police say remains of body found in search of Ju ‘Kelly’ Zhang
Detectives scouring a landfill in north Melbourne in a desperate search for missing woman Ju “Kelly” Zhang say they found human remains.
Friday afternoon’s grim discovery comes after officers zeroed in on Wollert’s landfill on Tuesday.
The remains have not yet been formally identified.
Read more
The location has been turned into a crime scene and is currently being vetted by top crime detectives, Crime Command Assistant Commissioner Bob Hill said.
“Our members worked under very difficult and trying conditions to ensure that all avenues of investigation were exhausted so that we could provide answers to Ju’s family and friends,” he said.
“We know it has been an incredibly difficult and traumatic time for them. We hope this provides the closure they need and that Ju can finally be buried. “
RELATED: Zhang’s family flies to Australia
There had been no trace of Ms. Zhang since her suspicious disappearance in early February.
The woman’s boyfriend, Joon Seong Tan, was charged with one count of murder after being arrested at Melbourne Airport the same month.
On February 12, the 35-year-old appeared in court, where detectives were revealed to be scanning 3,500 hours of CCTV footage related to the case.
The Doncaster man remains in custody and is expected to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in July.
Searches for Ms. Zhang’s body were conducted earlier this year in the bush along Darebin Creek in the Heidelberg West and Alphington areas.
The mother-of-one was last seen alive at her home on Winchester Ave in Epping around 5:30 p.m. on February 1.
Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said in February that the police were “firmly convinced” that Ms. Zhang was murdered that night, but they did not know her whereabouts.
Police have not disclosed what prompted them to search Wollert’s pipe.
When questioned, Inspector Stamper said their “very prolonged investigation” had brought them there.
He described it as “very complex research in a very difficult environment”.
“There has been a massive commitment to find Ju and get the answers for his family – it’s our number one priority,” Inspector Stamper said Tuesday.
Sydney
