Maryam Hamka’s family speaks: Loved ones say the discovery of her remains at Cape Schanck sparked waves of grief and relief
Maryam Hamka’s family speaks: Loved ones say the discovery of her remains at Cape Schanck sparked waves of grief and relief
- Maryam Hamka has been missing for two years
- Remains found on the Mornington Peninsula
- Two men have been charged with her murder
More than two agonizing years after Maryam Hamka was last seen alive, the discovery of her remains has enabled the devastated family to bring her ‘home’.
The 36-year-old’s last known sighting was on April 10, 2021, as she left a Woolworths supermarket in the northern Melbourne suburb of Brunswick.
Victoria Police announced Monday afternoon that they had found Ms Hamka’s remains around 10.30am that day in the bushland off Rogers Road in Cape Schanck, on the Mornington Peninsula, southeast of Melbourne.
Ms Hamka’s sister Hannah said she was sitting with her mother, children and other sister Amel when they saw police approaching the house.
Maryam Hamka’s family have expressed their relief but also their devastation after police found her remains after a search of more than two years.
Maryam Hamka poses with her mother Susan before she went missing after she was last seen in April 2021
“I ran to the door and said, ‘Did you find my sister?’ and he (the officer) said, “Maybe we should talk inside,” Hannah told the Announce sun.
“To be honest, my family is pretty devastated. It feels so unreal now.’
Mrs Hamka’s ex-boyfriend, Toby Loughnane, is on trial for her murder, while his friend Oscar Newman is accused of helping him clean up a bloodstain at his home in Brighton, an exclusive suburb in south-east Melbourne.
Police allege Mr Loughnane killed Ms Hamka at his home in Brighton on 11 April 2021.
Mr Loughnane has pleaded not guilty and his trial will take place in Victoria’s High Court.
Hannah said the family can now bury Ms Hamka’s remains with some ‘dignity’ in a place where they can visit her.
“She’s at home with us… she’s not there, like she was nothing,” Hannah said.
A funeral will be held once the coroner has released her body to her family.
On the second anniversary of Mrs Hamka’s death, Amel posted a heartbreaking tribute on Facebook.
“Two years ago today you lost your life,” it read.
“Two years doesn’t usually seem like a long time, but it seemed like an eternity without you, Maryam Hamka.
I miss you so much, you left a huge void in our lives, a hole in our hearts. We think about you all day every day.
“Our fight for justice for your sister has been so mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting but we will never give up until justice is served and I know Allah is great we will get justice in many ways insha Allah.
Allah Yarhamik sister. We love you so much.’
Ms Hamka’s former boyfriend, Toby Loughnane, has pleaded not guilty to her murder ahead of his trial later this year
Mr Loughnane’s friend Oscar Newman has pleaded not guilty to aiding in the murder of Mrs Hamka
At a preliminary hearing last year, the court learned that a significant stain with a blood-like appearance had been found on a piece of carpet at the bottom of the stairs in Mr Loughnane’s home in Brighton.
But no DNA profile could be obtained from the sample, forensic expert Maxwell Jones told the court.
That may be because a small amount of blood has spread, consistent with situations where a person has tried to clean up blood, he said.
“That may explain why we got such a broad luminol response in that area of carpet,” he said.
Magistrate Johanna Metcalf found, after a hearing that began in May, that there was enough evidence to support a murder conviction even without Ms Hamka’s remains.
Mr Newman will also stand trial, charged with helping Loughnane avoid arrest between April 11 and 15.
He also pleaded not guilty.
Mr Loughnane remains in custody behind bars, while Newman remains free on bail.