Two men have been arrested after a man's body was found in a metal container on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.
Police allege 22-year-old Darcy Schafer-Turner was murdered by his friend, Zachary Richard Fraser, in a Peakhurst home in Sydney's south, between April 27 and 29.
Commander of the homicide squad, Acting Superintendent Virginia Gorman, told media on Sunday Mr Schafer-Turner was killed during an assault over a drug-related dispute.
"We will allege the man was murdered in a unit after being fairly violently assaulted and he may have suffocated," Acting Superintendent Gorman said.
It is alleged Mr Fraser then called 33-year-old Charles Dennis Le Marchant Turnbull, who travelled from Brisbane to Sydney to help "cover up" the crime and dispose of Darcy Schafer-Turner's body.
Police allege Mr Turnbull drove the deceased's ute to Bunnings to purchase a large metal cabinet, as well as cleaning materials and zip ties.
He was then allegedly paid a sum of cash before driving the ute north to Warrell Creek near Macksville in the state's Mid North Coast, where he "dumped" the metal cabinet in the water.
An unlikely discovery
Police were alerted to the matter while looking for Mr Schafer-Turner in connection with a drug-related investigation.
When they were unable to find him, they commenced a missing person investigation.
Acting Superintendent Gorman said police were able to track Mr Turnbull's movements from Sydney to the Warrell Creek area where the metal cabinet was found floating in the water two months after Mr Schafer-Turner went missing.
Zachary Fraser was arrested on Monday, May 15 in Peakhurst and charged with murder.
He has been refused bail and will reappear at the Downing Centre Local Court on August 17.
On May 17, detectives travelled to Brisbane and executed a number of search warrants across the city.
Acting Superintendent Gorman said a Queensland resident was arrested and an application to extradite him was granted.
The 33-year-old man is "known to Queensland police" and will not be released to NSW until outstanding matters are finalised, she said.
"The fact that he's in another state is not really relevant, it's just the fact that [the first arrested man] knew someone that they could rely on to come and do the job."
Acting Superintendent Gorman said the deceased's family was "absolutely devastated".
"It's a 22-year-old boy. Twenty-two-year-olds are so young, to die in circumstances like that are just awful."
