A MUM’S hopes of finding her murdered backpacker son have been “dashed again” after the discovery of “remains” turned out to be fake.
Peter Falconio was travelling through Australia with his girlfriend Joanne Lees in 2001 when he was shot dead north of Alice Springs.
Peter Falconio was travelling through Australia with his girlfriend Joanne Lees in 2001 when he was shot deadDespite extensive searches over the years, the location of Peter’s body remains a mystery
Drug runner Bradley Murdoch was sentenced to life in prison for Peter’s murder in 2005, but has refused to say where he dumped the body.
Despite extensive searches over the years, the location of Peter’s body remains a mystery.
Today his family were offered new hope after local press reported that bones were found in the area.
But just hours later the Northern Territory Police denied the reports, saying: “No human remains have been located… and a search is not currently being conducted.”
Speaking to The Sun following the false alarm, mum Joan Falconio said: “Our hopes had been raised and dashed again.
“This has happened so many times before.”
She told of the family’s continuing heartache as all they want is for Peter’s remains to be found “so we can finally bring him home” after nearly 22 years.
Joan, 76, said she and husband Luciano, 80, had “hoped but not expected” that speculation of human remains being discovered which could be her son would prove correct.
She said: “We had seen media reports but had not heard anything officially.
“We would have expected the Australian police to have rang if that was the situation, we hope they would have, but we’ve not heard.”
The false alarm was reported by respected newspapers The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
The earlier reports claimed skeletal remains were found on January 9 on Tanami Road, a few miles from Stuart Highway where Peter was shot.
It was claimed the bones were discovered during unrelated searches for mum-of-two Angie Fuller, 30, whose disappearance is being treated as a homicide.
Sources reportedly told the papers the remains would be tested to see if they could be Peter’s but it all turned out to be incorrect.
‘SPECULATING’
Assistant Commissioner of Northern Territory Police Michael White blasted the public for “speculating” on the identity on any missing persons cases.
He said this causes “unwarranted grief and trauma to the family and friends”.
Police issued a fresh appeal for information in 2021, on the 20th anniversary of Peter’s disappearance.
The backpacker’s murder made headlines across the world with authorities launching an extensive police manhunt to locate the culprit.
On July 14, Joanne flagged down a truck on the Stuart Highway saying she and her boyfriend, both from West Yorkshire, had been attacked after their camper van was stopped by a truck.
‘RUN, OR BE RAPED AND KILLED’
She claimed the driver shot Peter before tying her up, but managed to escape and hid in bushes for five hours.
She later said: “It was either run, or be raped and killed.”
It wasn’t until four years later that a tip-off led to the arrest of drug runner Bradley Murdoch.
Murdoch always proclaimed his innocence but in December 2005, in Darwin, he was sentenced to life in prison for Falconio’s murder and the attempted kidnap of Joanne Lees.
During his trial, the prosecution alleged that after he killed Falconio he bought fuel in Alice Springs before heading back to his home in Broome, along the Tamami Road.
Cops have previously searched sections of the road as part of their investigation.
He was diagnosed with cancer in 2020 prompting the police to attempt to get a confession finally in exchange for moving him to a prison closer to his family.
Murdoch can apply for parole from 2033 but if he doesn’t reveal the location of Peter’s body his application will be denied.
The documentary series, Murder in the Outback: The Falconio and Lees Mystery, aired on Channel 4 in 2020 revealed crucial details about the case.
GettyToday his family were offered new hope after local press reported that bones were found in the area[/caption]
AFPDrug runner Bradley Murdoch was sentenced to life in prison for Peter’s murder in 2005[/caption]
GettyDespite extensive searches over the years, the location of Peter’s body remains a mystery[/caption]
