Jesse Baird: Police officer charged with murder of missing Australian TV host and partner
Jesse Baird (L) and Luke Davies (R)(Instagram/@jessebairddd)
A 28-year-old police officer has been charged with two counts of murder after the disappearance of Australian TV personality Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies.
Beau Lamarre, Baird’s ex-partner, appeared in Waverley Local Court on Friday (23 February) as the charges of murder were read out to him. He handed himself in at Bondi Police Station earlier in the day.
Australian authorities had expressed “grave concerns” for Baird, 26, and Davies, a 29-year-old Qantas flight attendant, after finding bloodied clothing and other items in a bin in Sydney.
The pair were reportedly last seen in Paddington on Monday (19 February).
Police allege the couple were killed on Monday inside Baird’s Paddington home “between 12.01am and 5.30pm on the 19th February”, according to court documents reported on by ABC News.
Witnesses reported hearing “shouting” and a “verbal argument” that morning, and police said a rented van was seen at the scene on CCTV footage that evening.
The van, which police alleged was used to transport the men’s bodies, was found in the south of Sydney on Friday morning, the BBC reported.
Authorities added a bullet matching Lamarre’s work-issued gun was found at the crime scene, which also contained a “significant” amount of blood and overturned furniture.
New South Wales detective superintendent Daniel Doherty told reporters Lamarre “hasn’t assisted us to date”. The bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies have not been found.
“From the evidence we’ve gleaned today we believe that the fate of both Luke and Jesse was at the house in Paddington and at some stage the white van was [allegedly] used to transport their bodies to another location,” Doherty said.
“That’s why we’re keen to find out where that location is.
“It’s important we get the movements in relation to that van as hopefully we can find the bodies and this is important for the family.”
Doherty said the families of Baird and Davies were “devastated by the news”.
Bloody possessions belonging to both men were found in a skip in the suburb of Cronulla on Wednesday (21 February), and officers subsequently found blood when searching Baird’s home in nearby upmarket Paddington.
A crime scene was reportedly established at Baird’s home, however police said at the time that it was too early to tell whether either of the men had been involved in foul play.
Detective superintendent Jodi Radmore told reporters: “We believe from the crime scene at Paddington, and from [a] property that was located at Cronulla, that there has been some sort of incident that has more than likely occurred at the Paddington address, and that has given us grave concerns for one, possibly both, of their safety.
“If any of their friends know their whereabouts, please contact us so we can speak to that person or to them.
“If Jesse is seeing this, we’d ask him to contact us, as well as anyone who might know the whereabouts of Jesse.”
Members of the public have been asked to contact either Waverley Police or Crime Stoppers if they have any relevant information.
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