Falconio murder: Police divers search dam

Police divers in Australia were today searching a dam where human remains were found, amid speculation they may belong to missing British backpacker Peter Falconio.

The lower part of a male torso was found by a tourist at a dam near the town of Marla, South Australia.

Police in South Australia said forensic tests could take days.

They were keeping an “open mind” on whether the remains could belong to Mr Falconio, but were also checking all other missing person reports.

The remains were discovered 750 miles from where Mr Falconio is believed to have been killed as he drove along the Stuart Highway with his girlfriend Joanne Lees on July 14, 2001.

Miss Lees escaped and Bradley John Murdoch, 44, has been charged with murdering Mr Falconio.

A spokesman for South Australia Police told PA News: “We don’t know who it is and at this time we’re not speculating.

“The remains are in a decomposed state so it’s difficult to tell how long they have been there or how old the person was.

“Our divers are going to search the dam to see if they can find anything else and the remains will go to Adelaide for forensics.”

He said the dam was in a remote spot about 20 miles south of the nearest town Marla and 750 miles north of the state capital Adelaide.

“It’s a very isolated spot. There is a dirt track leading to it but you have to know where you’re going, it’s not a main road,” he said.

There was a cattle station nearby and the remains were found by an employee of the farm, he said.

The dam was off the Oodnadatta Track in the far north of South Australia state.

It was about 30 metres wide and four metres deep and is used to store water for livestock.

Police and local people were searching the land area around the dam aided by police helicopters.

Inspector Peter Batley said: “We are treating this incident with an open mind at this point and are liaising with other police forces throughout Australia.”

The remains were taken immediately to a mortuary in Marla.