Humble greenskeeper who found the key clue that led to the bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies being found has a quiet beer with mates – as details emerge about his part in the investigation
A greenskeeper whose grim discovery at the back of a popular club sparked an urgent search for a TV presenter and his friend was spotted quietly having a beer with friends when police announced the bodies of the missing couple had been found .
‘Tommy’ discovered bloodied clothing in a bin behind Club Cronulla on Wilbar Avenue, in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney, at 11am on February 21.
An $8,000 mobile phone, credit card and watch were also found, with NSW Police linking the objects to Qantas flight attendant Luke Davies, 29, and Jesse Baird, 26.
NSW police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon, 28, handed himself in to police and was charged with the murder of the missing couple.
Detectives began a search for their bodies on Tuesday, scouring bushland and dams before finding their remains on a rural estate 180 kilometers south of Sydney.
Greenskeeper Tommy drinks a beer hours after the bodies of two men are discovered
Also found in the bin were Mr Davies’ bloodied clothes, a phone, credit cards, keys and an $8,000 watch.
The investigation into the double murder began at 11am on February 21 when bloodied clothing belonging to Mr Davies was found in the Cronulla container.
Commissioner Karen Webb praised police for their tireless efforts, while the families of Mr Davies and Mr Baird welcomed the news with a mix of sadness and relief.
Tommy opted for a quiet drink with friends after news of the huge breakthrough in the investigation into the alleged murders.
The greenskeeper drank a beer while sitting on a balcony at Club Cronulla – the very spot where he first discovered the bloodied clothes.
Tommy remained tight-lipped to the public throughout the investigation, choosing to stay out of the spotlight.
Lamarre-Condon is currently at Silverwater Correctional Complex, in Sydney’s west.
The suspect waited until he had finally spoken to a lawyer before allegedly assisting police in finding the bodies of Mr Baird and Mr Davies.
Mr Baird’s heartbroken family arrived at the remote bush grave hours after police announced they had found the remains.
The entertainment journalist’s distressed relatives arrived in Bungonia in several cars as the sun slowly set.
They all looked solemn as they spoke to police and were accompanied by several women wearing sunglasses.
Police allege the couple were shot dead at Mr Baird’s Paddington home last Monday before being loaded into surfboard bags and taken to a rural estate where they were hidden under rocks.
Four of Mr Baird’s relatives, seated in a blue car, were followed by another relative traveling alone in a black vehicle.
After arriving on the scene, officers led the group to the location where the couple’s bodies were found in surf bags, covered in dirt and rocks, along a fence between bushes.
Tommy remained tight-lipped to the crowd during the investigation, with the unassuming greenskeeper choosing to stay out of the spotlight
The unassuming greenskeeper was spotted having a beer as he chatted with his friends at Club Cronulla on Tuesday
Family members spent about 15 minutes with Mr. Baird’s body before driving away from the scene.
Back in Sydney, shattered friends of Mr Baird and Mr Davies gathered on Bronte Beach for a vigil.
Commissioner Webb revealed that detectives were led to the location of the bodies on Tuesday with the assistance of Lamarre-Condon after he was questioned at the jail this morning.
She said: ‘I would also like to say that this information has come about with the help of the suspect, for which we are very grateful and I am sure the families are very grateful.’
But a grieving friend of Mr Baird accused Commissioner Webb of using inappropriate language to describe accused killer Lamarre-Condon during her “train wreck” press conference.
Mitch Swanson wrote on social media: “Saying how THANKFUL they are to (Lamarre-Condon) for revealing information is just another blow to his family and friends.
‘He doesn’t deserve any kind of thanks at all. The handling by the police is an absolute train wreck.’
Mr Swanson later added that the suggestion that Mr Baird’s family and friends were “grateful” for Lamarre-Condon’s unveiling of the site was “a damn thing to say”.
An exhausted-looking Detective Sergeant Sasha Pinazza broke down in tears as she addressed the media on Tuesday.
Det Sergeant Pinazza admitted at the conference that when police called off the search at nightfall in Bungonia, in the NSW Southern Highlands, at nightfall on Monday without finding the remains of Mr Baird and Mr Davies, they were dejected .
“We came together again this morning and achieved a wonderful outcome for the families,” she said.
It is believed Detective Pinazza and another officer, Chief Inspector Glen Browne, were the police who visited accused murderer Beau Lamarre-Condon at Silverwater Prison at around 11am on Tuesday morning.
Lamarre-Condon is said to have driven to the Southern Tablelands with an acquaintance in a rented van last Wednesday and bought an angle screwdriver and a padlock along the way.
Floral tributes from friends, family and well-wishers adorn the veranda outside Jesse Baird’s home in Paddington