MYSTERY ROAD
REMAINS FOUND AT HERVEY RANGE
MYSTERY surrounds the identity of human remains found beside a remote stretch of Hervey Range Rd, west of Townsville.
Police had set up a crime scene at the site yesterday after the skeletal remains were found by a man hunting near the road on Saturday afternoon.
Forensic testing began yesterday but police said it could take weeks before the identity of the remains was confirmed.
Speculation about the possible identity of the remains included missing Newcastle man Jayden Penno- Tompsett and Condon mother Julie Hutchinson, whose husband was last year found guilty of her manslaughter.
Detective Inspector Phil Watts said police had no answers yet.
“We haven’t ruled out anything at this stage,” he said.
“It’s going to come down to forensic testing and that could unfortunately take some time.”
IT could be weeks before bones found in bushland west of Townsville are identified.
A member of the public who was out hunting found skeletal remains near the side of Hervey Range Road about 4.30pm on Saturday and alerted police.
A crime scene was set up and police guarded the scene overnight, with detectives and scientific officers arriving yesterday to investigate.
Forensic testing began yesterday but police say it could take weeks before the identity of the deceased person was known. Asked whether the remains could belong to missing Newcastle man Jayden Penno- Tompsett or Condon mother Julie Hutchinson, whose husband was last year found guilty of her manslaughter, Detective Inspector Phil Watts said police had no answers yet.
“We haven’t ruled out anything at this stage,” he said.
“It’s going to come down to forensic testing and that could unfortunately take some time.”
Detective Inspector Watts said the area could be expected to remain a crime scene for at least a few days.
Police remained at the site yesterday afternoon.
The remains were found on a remote stretch of road beyond the Hervey Range military training site. The location is just kilometres from where the Star River runs into the Burdekin River.
Closer to Townsville, the Hervey Range Heritage Tea Rooms were bustling with Sunday trade, but the road grew gradually quieter heading west toward the Gregory Developmental Road yester- day afternoon, with traffic dwindling to just the occasional car going past the crime scene.
Officers worked in the heat beside the road in the dry grazing area yesterday, while police tape was used to cordon off an area about 20m long.
The grass by the side of the road was blackened, due to recent hazard- reduction burns taking place throughout Hervey Range.
Police have remained tight- lipped about the find, only publicly releasing information about noon yesterday.
The gender of the remains was not confirmed. Investigations are continuing.