CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence.
The remains of a Melbourne woman who has been missing for over two years are believed to have been found in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
As per 7News, Victoria Police confirmed on Monday that human remains were discovered in bushland in Cape Schnack, off of Rogers Rd near Patterson Rd, at around 10.30am.
The remains are believed to be those of Maryam Hamka, a 36-year-old Melbourne woman who was last seen on April 10, 2021 leaving a Brunswick supermarket after telling her family she was going to visit a friend in Brighton.
Maryam was reported missing by her family five days after she was last seen.
Two men were charged in relation to her death in 2021.
Maryam’s former boyfriend Toby Loughnane, 41, was charged with one count of murder while Oscar Newman, 26, was charged with assisting in the alleged murder.
Police allege Loughnane murdered Hamka in his Brighton home on April 11 and then recruited Newman to help him clean the crime scene and dispose of her body.
Both men pleaded not guilty last year during a committal hearing but were ordered to stand trial.
On the same day that she was last seen, she sent her friend Shane Allen a text message saying “sorry I blew out”.
Shane then said he called her at 3am or 4am on April 11 after seeing that text from her and becoming concerned.
“She didn’t sound right. I was just checking, worried about her,” he told the court in 2022.
Whilst under questioning by Loughnane’s barrister Daniel Sala, Shane said the phrase “blew out” was used when people had taken too much of the drug GHB.
Another unnamed witness told the court that she saw Hamka and Loughnane arguing for more than three hours in the weeks before she went missing.
The court also heard that a blood-like stain was found on a section of carpet at the bottom of the stairs in Loughnane’s Brighton home, but no DNA could be obtained.
Assistant Commissioner Mick Frewen said the past two years with no real answers or updates in the case had been an “incredibly difficult time” for Maryam’s family.
“Our heartfelt thoughts are with Maryam’s family and friends,” he said.
“Our members have worked under very difficult and trying conditions to ensure that every avenue of inquiry has been exhausted, so we could provide answers to Maryam’s family.”
“We know this has been an incredibly difficult and traumatic time for them. We hope that this will bring the closure they need and Maryam can finally be laid to rest.”
The remains are yet to be formally identified.
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
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