DUMPED 1100KM APART
POLICE have more than one suspect in the murders of mum Karlie Jade Pearce-Stevenson and her little daughter, Khandalyce, whose bodies were found five years and more than 1100km apart.
The revelation yesterday that the skeleton of a young woman found in the Belanglo State Forest in NSW in 2010 and the bones of a girl found in a suitcase in outback South Australia last July were mother and daughter was a result of a call to Crime Stoppers just three months ago.
When they were last seen alive in 2008, Karlie was 20 and Khandalyce just two.
Karlie’s mum reported her missing on September 4, 2009, but withdrew the report six days later after apparently being reassured she was safe and well.
As a result of the call to Crime Stoppers, detectives painstakingly identified the suitcase remains as those of Khandalyce.
A DNA database match then solved the NSW bones mystery.
The travels of the murdered mother and daughter are now the focus of detectives on the trail of their killer.
Mother and daughter moved to Adelaide in November 2008.
It is unknown how long they stayed in the city before travelling to NSW, where Karlie was murdered, most likely in 2009.
Detective Superintendent Des Bray of the SA major crime investigation branch said detectives had advised family members of the positive identifications yesterday morning, and relatives were still coming to terms with their loss.
The family said in a statement: “We are grateful to the police, the community and media and everyone who has assisted or provided information in this investigation.
“As you would expect, our family is devastated by this news of the deaths of Karlie and Khandalyce and we are trying to deal with the grief.”
Supt Bray stressed that no family member was a suspect in the murders.
“This is one of the most shocking crimes imaginable and has torn apart a loving family,” he said. “Those responsible for this crime are truly evil ... and must be held accountable.”