A MAN is in police custody over the death of single mother Karlie Pearce-Stevenson.
The man, a 41-year-old inmate at Cessnock prison, was being interviewed by detectives at Cessnock police station on Wednesday night and was expected to be charged with murder.
Police said inquiries into the death of Ms Pearce-Stevenson’s daughter, Khandalyce are continuing.
The man, who has served time for child sex offences, is currently in Cessnock jail for unrelated crimes.
The arrest comes five years after Ms Pearce-Stevenson’s remains were found in the Belanglo State Forrest, south of Sydney.
Her identity remained a mystery until earlier this month when police linked her DNA to that of a child’s body found dumped in a suitcase on the side of a highway at Wynarka in South Australia in July this year.
Police last week made public Ms Pearce-Stevenson’s identity and the fact that the child in the suitcase was her daughter, Khandalyce.
Detectives have said they believe the pair were killed at different times and at different locations in December 2008.
Police suspect people involved in the murder of mother and daughter also hijacked the pair’s identities after killing them and raked in about $90,000 across multiple states and territories.
More to come
source:theherald.com.au
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