Almost a year after 36-year-old Tony Rowe was last seen in Darwin's northern suburbs, Northern Territory Police has charged two people in relation to his disappearance.
NT Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Michael White said a 29-year-old man and 21-year-old woman were extradited from interstate to face charges in the Northern Territory earlier this month.
"[The man] has been charged with an offence called 'violent act causing death' and [the woman has] been charged in relation to interfering with evidence and other offences," Acting Deputy Commissioner White said.
"They'll both appear on the 12th of July to answer those charges."
The 29-year-old man appeared in Darwin Local Court last week, but all details about his appearance were suppressed from publication until today.
A suppression order over the details of the 21-year-old woman's case was also revoked by Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris today.
NT Police said the suppression orders were created because it was an "ongoing investigation".
"We're protecting the integrity of the investigation and the evidence," Acting Deputy Commissioner White said.
Both individuals have been remanded in custody.
Mr Rowe was last seen in the Darwin suburb of Moulden on May 28, 2022, after visiting the Hibiscus Tavern in Leanyer earlier that evening.
Police said they had been treating his disappearance as a homicide since May last year and were still actively searching for his body.
"We're doing everything we can to find Tony, to give [his mum] the final closure that she needs to have," Acting Deputy Commissioner White said.
Police allege there was an 'altercation'
The Major Crime Squad established "Operation Alpheus" in the wake of Mr Rowe's disappearance, with "significant resources" poured into the ongoing investigation.
Acting Deputy Commissioner White said police were only able to provide limited details about what they believe happened to the 36-year-old, with the matter now before the courts.
"What we believe is that he was with a group of people who were drinking at a local establishment and that was the last time he was seen," he said.
"He has not been found at this stage but what we know is that there was some sort of altercation."
He said police from across the country had been involved in the investigation and that information from the public was critical.
"The devil [is] in the detail in the sense of our getting in there and picking away at any little piece of information that comes from the public," Acting Deputy Commissioner White said.
"Many people may not think [a detail] is critical, but to us it may be, so that's why we continue to ask for information in relation to Tony's disappearance."
