Australian police search for bodies of missing gay couple find remains

(CNN) — Police in the Australian state of New South Wales said they found two bodies during a search for a missing gay couple who were allegedly murdered by an Australian police officer.

NSW Police constable Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, 28, is behind bars after being charged with the murder of his ex-boyfriends Jessie Baird, 26, and Luke Davis, 29, last week.

“We are confident that we have located Luke and Jessie,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said at a news conference on Tuesday. He said the accused provided information to help police locate the bodies.

Webb said the bodies were found at a second crime scene, in a different location than the first one searched. He said families have been informed and crime scene detectives are currently at the scene.

Webb expressed condolences to family and friends, as well as the LGBTQI+ community, saying, “Every day, every hour was an agonizing wait, so I’m relieved for the families.”

Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said the bodies were found in two surf bags covered in debris at a property in the town of Bungonia, about 20 minutes from where they were discovered on Monday.

“They were covered in debris, the location of the bodies will not be known until an investigation is conducted,” Doherty said.

The pair were last seen at Baird’s home in Sydney’s East Paddington neighborhood on February 19, and fears for their safety grew after their blood-stained belongings were found in a bin in Cronulla, about 30 kilometers away.

— From CNN’s Alex Stambaugh and Manveena Suri, with prior reporting by Chris Lau.