Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National

SA Police search Uleybury rubbish dump in Adelaide's north for remains of Geoffrey McLean

Geoffrey McLean's torso was found in a wheelie bin last year. (Supplied: SA Police)

Police are searching a landfill site in Adelaide's northern suburbs in the hopes of finding more remains of alleged murder victim Geoffrey McLean.

Mr McLean, 55, was last seen alive in August 2022, two months before his torso was discovered in a wheelie bin by a gardener on Cheviot Road in Salisbury South.

Detective Superintendent, Des Bray, said police believe Mr McLean's remains were put into rubbish bags and dumped into bins near where the alleged offenders lived.

Mr Bray said 70 per cent of rubbish collected in the neighbourhood had been traced to the Uleybury rubbish dump, where officers are currently searching.

Mr Bray said about 30 officers, using rakes and their hands, were scouring through up to 150 rubbish bales weighing about one-and-a-half tonnes each.

"I expect we'll be here for several days and if Geoffrey's remains are in those bales I'm confident that we will find them," Mr Bray said. 

Four arrests have been made in relation to the alleged murder. (ABC News: Brant Cumming)

But he said police had not been able to identify where the other 30 per cent of rubbish collected in the area had been dumped.

"The reality is we do need a little bit of luck because we know that 30 per cent of the rubbish from that area — we do not know where it has gone," he said.

"With the resources we've got and the area we've identified, we have a good chance of recovering his remains.

"We do have to consider the possibility that if Geoffrey is not here that we won't be able to identify the other 30 per cent of rubbish."

Officers are scouring through up to 150 rubbish bales weighing about one-and-a-half tonnes each. (ABC News: Brant Cumming)

There have been four arrests made in relation to the alleged murder.

A 49-year-old Andrews Farm woman was charged with murder last month and was allegedly known to the victim.

The woman's co-accused, a 51-year-old man, faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court in March, also charged with murder.

Late last month, a 51-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman both from the northern suburbs were arrested and questioned by detectives.

Des Bray says it could take some time until officers find the remains. (ABC News: Brant Cumming)
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.