April 10th, 2024Men arrested following death of Clunes woman

Detectives from the Homicide Squad have charged a man after the body of a Clunes woman was found in Scarsdale on Friday.

A 21-year-old Sebastopol man arrested on Sunday afternoon has now been charged with one count of murder. He was required to appear before the Ballarat Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

The 21-year-old Sebastopol man has been charged after detectives from the Homicide Squad had arrested him and another man late Sunday afternoon following the location of a Clunes woman’s body in Scarsdale on Friday.

Emergency services were called to reports of a vehicle on fire in bushland near State Forest Road just before 10am on Friday (5 April).

The remains of a 23-year-old Clunes woman were located inside the vehicle.

The woman had been reported missing by a member of her family earlier that morning.

Three search warrants were executed at residential addresses in Sebastopol yesterday afternoon (Sunday, 7 April).

Two Sebastopol men – the 21-year-old and a 22-year-old – were arrested shortly before 5pm on Sunday.

The 22-year-old man had been released, whilst the 21-year-old man remained in custody and continued to be interviewed by police.

At this stage, investigators believe the parties involved were known to each other. The investigation remains ongoing.

Any witnesses, anyone with CCTV/dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the Crime Stoppers website.