Several ‘items of interest’ have been found at a rubbish dump in Brisbane where the remains of retired teacher Lesley Trotter are being searched for.
Lesley Trotter, 78, died sometime between midnight on March 27 and noon the following day in the western Brisbane suburb of Toowong.
Two weeks ago, police said a garbage truck collected Ms Trotter’s body from a bin outside her home during its weekly collection service on March 28.
This led to desperate police searches and now, after two weeks, interesting objects have been found in the Swanbank rubbish dump in Ipswich, Victoria.
The police launched a large-scale search for the remains of Lesley Trotter at a rubbish dump
Queensland Police search a waste facility in Swanbank for the remains of missing Brisbane retired teacher Lesley Trotter
She was reported missing from her home in Toowong on March 28, prompting the search
“At this stage, it remains unclear whether the items are relevant to the investigation,” police said in a statement, adding that further investigation is needed.
It could be the first major breakthrough for investigators as they scour a large search area for traces of Ms Trotter, who disappeared on March 28 from the central Brisbane suburb of Toowong.
Her cell phone and wallet were found in her unit and her car was still in the garage.
Investigators believe Ms. Trotter was murdered the night she went missing and her remains were hidden in a wheelie bin, which was compressed by garbage collectors and transported to two massive landfills.
The search began Tuesday at the Swanbank facility on the outskirts of Ipswich after days of preparations to narrow the search area.
“The area we have to search is pretty huge,” Detective Andrew Massingham said this week.
Police search waste facilities in Swanbank and Rochedale to find the remains of missing Brisbane retired teacher Lesley Trotter
“There’s about 3,000 tons of general waste that we have to sort.”
Much of the work has been done by hand, as the waste from the landfill is excavated and dumped into 12-inch deep trenches for researchers to examine.
Teams plan to comb through about 200 tons of trash a day, weather permitting, in a search that could take up to three weeks.
“This is really a hand-and-eye type search, using rakes and random equipment to sort the general rubbish,” said Det Supt Massingham.
Police hope to release more information on Friday.
Two weeks ago, police issued a grim update on Ms Trotter’s disappearance.
“Ongoing investigations may indicate that on the morning of Tuesday, March 28 this year, the body of a woman we believe was Lesley Trotter was found in a rubbish bin,” Det Supt Massingham told reporters.
It was clear she was dead. Due to the positioning of the body, we cannot rule out foul play.
“Later that morning, that bin was picked up by a garbage truck.”
The garbage truck that transported the remains of the 78-year-old has been seized by the police.
Police believe a garbage truck took Ms Trotter’s body from a rubbish bin outside her complex in Toowong during its weekly collection. The photo shows the police at the complex in western Brisbane
Lesley Trotter last spoke to her family on March 27, sparking a desperate search for land and water
The retired teacher was an avid hiker and bushwalker before she went missing
Once found, Ms. Trotter’s remains will be forensically examined to determine her cause of death.
The breakthrough comes just days after police revealed blood was found near rubbish bins that Ms Trotter regularly rummaged through to sort recyclables.
Police said Ms Trotter’s habit of leaving rubbish on the ground and driveway as she rummaged through the bins to find and sort recyclables had caused “some fear among some people” on her street.
The investigation into Ms Trotter’s death is expected to be ‘lengthy and complex’.
“I thank those members of the public … whom we have interviewed so far,” added Det Supt Massingham.
“Our door knocks in the area are nearing the end.
“It was important that information pertinent to the location of her body was kept quiet over the weekend until we were able to exhaust people’s memory regarding their memories on Tuesday, March 28.”
Police have not confirmed how officers know Ms Trotter’s remains were in the bin, but said they have ‘strong evidence’.
Ms Trotter last spoke to her family around 11am on 27 March and was not at her Toowong home, on Maryvale St, when they visited the following day.