Police have discovered two bodies in the search for Australian TV presenter Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies, who were allegedly killed by Baird’s former police officer lover.
New South Wales Police on Tuesday discovered the bodies at a rural property in Bungonia, around 124 miles southwest of Sydney, and while they are yet to be formally identified, police say “they are believed to be” that of Baird and his flight attendant partner Davies.
The couple were allegedly killed in Baird’s inner Sydney home on Monday last week.
New South Wales Police Force Senior-Constable Beau Lamarre-Condon, who dated Baird until late last year, was charged on Friday with the murders of both men.
Police said Mr Lamarre provided them with information early on Tuesday that led them to the bodies.
Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty said human remains were found near the entrance to the property and that attempts had been made "to cover the bodies with rock and debris".
He added that police believe two "surf bags" were used to transport the dead couple in a white van from Baird's home.
Investigators found a bullet matching Mr Lamarre-Condon's work-issued gun there last week, along with a "significant" amount of blood and upturned furniture.
The case is believed to be the first suspected murder carried out by a New South Wales police officer in decades, and has prompted a review into out-of-hours access officers have to firearms.
The crime prompted Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras organisers to ask police not to march at their annual parade this weekend, a decision the police commissioner said she would urge them to reconsider.
The Mardi Gras' board said LGBTQIA+ communities across Australia had been devastated by the loss of the couple, who had planned to celebrate at the parade on Saturday.
"The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Board feels that having the NSW Police march this year could add to the distress within our communities, already deeply affected by recent events. The Board has taken the decision to request that the Police do not march in the 2024 Parade," the board said in a statement late Monday.
"This decision was not made lightly, especially considering that many NSW Police members who participate in the Parade are also members of the LGBTQIA+ community and are navigating the impact of this tragedy alongside us. However, we believe that their participation at this year's event could intensify the current feelings of sorrow and distress," the board added.
The board noted that the 28-year-old alleged killer had participated in the parade in the past.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb, who has taken part in the annual march since 2006, said she would meet with the organisers on Tuesday to urge the board to reconsider its decision.
"We're not dealing with a gay hate crime here. We're dealing with a domestic homicide and ... I'm disappointed (by) the position that Mardi Gras board has taken on this issue," Ms Webb said.
"This time, more than any in our society, it's time to come together. We're talking about inclusion, we're talking about diversity and to exclude part of that community, I think, sends a wrong message,"she added.
The Mardi Gras began in 1978 as a Sydney street protest against homosexual discrimination that was violently broken up by police. Uniformed police officers have been marching since 1998 as a gesture of respect and support.
Sydney-born Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said relations between police and the LGBTQ community had come a long way since 1978.
"I think it's been very good that the police have marched," Albanese said.
"The relationships have been turned around and have been positive, but I understand that the Queer community in Sydney, in particular, are grieving what is an enormous tragedy," he added.
