Queensland police suspend search for Leslie Trotter
Fraser Barton and Robyn Wuth |
The family of a missing Queensland woman have been dealt a devastating blow after police suspended the search for her remains at a Brisbane landfill site.
Police made the decision to discontinue the search at the Swanbank landfill site on Thursday, more than six weeks after Lesley Trotter, 78, disappeared from her inner-Brisbane home.
Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said the decision came after extensive consultation with forensic experts and landfill engineers.
“After more than a month since commencing the search, police have been unable to locate Ms Trotter’s body,” he said.
Police called time on the mammoth task after investigators and the Australian Defence Force sifted through more than 1000 tonnes of rubbish at the Swanbank tip near Ipswich.
The retired teacher vanished from her unit in the suburb of Toowong on March 28, with her mobile phone and wallet inside and car parked in the garage.
Investigators believe Ms Trotter was killed the night she went missing, and her remains were hidden in a wheelie bin, which was compacted by rubbish collectors and sent to the massive landfill site.
The landfill search started on April 18, and police were confident the quarantined rubbish they were searching was from close to Ms Trotter’s home after paperwork belonging to a resident in a nearby street was discovered.
Investigators warned it would be an uphill battle to locate the remains.
The day Ms Trotter went missing, six B-double loads of garbage were moved to landfill sites.
Rubbish collection continued for another 14 days, with another 300 truckloads disposed of at a nearby transfer station alone before being trucked to a landfill.
Ms Trotter’s family have been advised of the latest decision, but the investigation into her disappearance continues despite the setback.
“A team of 10 detectives remain committed to solving the disappearance of Ms Trotter,” Det Massingham said.
Police believe Ms Trotter died close to her Toowong home, where crime scenes were established at her unit block and outside the complex, with the disappearance believed to be linked to a dispute over recycling.
The missing woman was known to search through refuse, searching wheeling bins on the streets to remove recycling from general waste into the correct bins before collection.
Detectives renewed their appeal for anyone with information or relevant vision, mainly between 5am and 7am on March 28, near Maryvale Street in Toowong, to come forward.
AAP
