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IN BRIEF
- Police found his licence inside a car, and the clothing on the body has led officers to believe it is Ingram.
- Police offered a $250,000 award in March for information that could lead to his capture.
The discovery of a severely decomposed body in New South Wales appears to have brought a grim chapter to a close. Authorities suspect the remains belong to Julian Ingram, a 37-year-old man wanted for a tragic shooting spree earlier this year.
Ingram had been on the run since January 22, when he allegedly took the lives of his pregnant ex-partner Sophie Quinn, her aunt Nerida Quinn, and a third victim in Lake Cargelligo, a small town in western NSW. His disappearance had left many questions unanswered, as there had been no confirmed sightings of him since he reportedly fled the scene in a white utility vehicle.
On Monday, NSW Police announced the discovery of a body near a white Ford Ranger at Roundhill Nature Reserve, approximately 100 kilometers northeast of the town where the crimes occurred. A firearm was found at the scene, adding to the evidence suggesting a connection to the January events.
Although the body has not yet been formally identified, the registration of the vehicle matched that of the getaway vehicle linked to the alleged murders. This significant find offers a potential conclusion to the months-long search and investigation following the horrifying incident.
While he is yet to be formally identified, the vehicle’s registration number matched the ute used on the day of the murders.
Police found the council worker’s licence inside the car, and the clothing on the body has led officers to believe it is Ingram.
“It’s a relief for those involved in the investigation, and probably a bigger relief for the people of Lake Cargelligo and the Quinn family,” Western Region commander Andrew Holland told reporters.
“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.”
Ingram was believed to have committed the murders just hours after reporting for bail at a local police station.
Quinn, 25, and her friend John Harris, 32, were killed when bullets were fired into a dark hatchback on Lake Cargelligo’s Bokhara St about 4.20pm.
Soon after, her 50-year-old aunt was shot dead at a home on Walker St, a two-minute drive away.
Kaleb Macqueen, 19, was also shot at the home but survived with serious injuries.
The shootings shocked the region, with locals urged to exercise extreme caution as police launched their manhunt.
For weeks, officers scoured the nearby bushland looking for signs of Ingram, eventually expanding their search to the remote outpost of Mount Hope, a former mining town about 90km northwest of Lake Cargelligo.
As leads dried up, police offered a $250,000 award in March for information that could lead to his capture.
Investigators believed Ingram was alive for at least a week after his disappearance.
But by the time he was found on Monday, it seemed he had died long ago.
“Police have … located a male body in a very decomposed state,” Holland said.
“The body appears to have been there for some time.”
Officers will continue investigations into how the death occurred and the state of decomposition will be determined by a coroner.
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