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Warning: This article includes the name and image of deceased Indigenous individuals.
The search for New South Wales’ most wanted fugitive has concluded with the discovery of a decomposed body, believed to be that of accused murderer Julian Ingram. The remains were found near an abandoned ute in a secluded area of a NSW national park.
The news has brought a mix of emotions to those who knew Ingram, offering some closure to his loved ones who can now begin the process of mourning.
Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland expressed relief on behalf of law enforcement and the families impacted by Ingram’s alleged crimes. “For the past four months, the strike forces leading the pursuit of Julian Ingram have remained steadfast in their efforts,” he stated.
“For the last four months, the strike forces involved in … the manhunt for Julian Ingram, have not given up,” he said.
“There’s been hundreds of police involved.
“Obviously, it’s a relief for them to find this body – again, yet to be confirmed as Julian Ingram – but the main thing is, it brings closure to this investigation, it brings closure to the people of Lake Cargelligo and gives some solace to the town so they can relax.”
Holland said the body was found in a “very decomposed” state but didn’t give a specific estimate for when the man may have died, saying only it “appears to have been there for some time”.
He did not confirm whether the weapon was the same alleged to have been used in the shooting or whether the man was believed to have died by suicide.
Police said NPWS workers carrying out feral animal eradication found the vehicle about 3.40pm today in Round Hill Nature Reserve, roughly 100 kilometres north-east of Lake Cargelligo.
Ingram, 37, had been on the run since the January 22 shooting.
“I heard boom, boom. I seen her – she was holding her neck, and then he was laughing,” Macqueen told 9News in January.
Sophie’s mother, Cathy Quinn, called Ingram “gutless”.
“We still grieving but justice will be served,” she told 9News.
Her sister, Tegan, said it was “about time they found him”.
“We can grieve but now it feels so real and it’s only has hit me now,” she said.
The shooting devastated the tiny town and rattled the entire state.
Last month, police said Ingram was seen on the side of a road two days after the alleged murders.
At the time they said they believed he was receiving help from the public to evade capture but it’s not clear how that would fit in with the decomposed state of the body.
In March, police offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The coroner will now be charged with confirming how the man died and when.
If the body is confirmed to be Ingram, everything leading up to the killing will also be investigated, including why the repeated domestic violence offender was out on bail.
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