Police close net on killer of Karlie and Khandalyce

Police confirmed that both mother and daughter had been brutally murdered but the time and circumstances are still unknown.

Detectives said both Ms Pearce-Stevenson and Khandalyce suffered violent deaths.

Ms Pearce-Stevenson’s remains were discovered in NSW’s Belanglo Forest in 2010 and the little girl’s body was found on the Karoonda Highway in South Australia early this year.

Police said they were looking at the possibility there was more than one person responsible for the murders.

The officers said while the community response was “overwhelming” they cautioned people to be careful about spreading misinformation.

Pearce-Stevenson was last seen driving near Coober Pedy with Khandalyce in November 2008. In 2008 she left to work and travel around Australia with Khandalyce.

The father of Khandalyce has been ruled out as a suspect for now.

Australian police said Wednesday a young child’s skeleton found in a suitcase earlier this year was the daughter of a woman whose bones were found 1,100 kilometres (684 miles) away five years ago.

Over the next year, contact between the two and their family started to become less frequent, and in September 2009 Pearce-Stevenson’s mother filed a missing person report.

‘Those premises belonged to people associated with Karlie and Khandalyce in a few way, ‘ he said.

That call was the 1267th received by South Australian detectives in relation to the Wynarka investigation.

“We have also spoken with numerous people who have provided information”. According to 9 News Australia the NSW and SA Homicide Squads are working closely to complete the picture of Karlie’s life, particularly since the birth of Khandalyce in 2006.

Blood samples from her mother were used to create a DNA profile, which detectives in NSW linked to the remains of woman found Belanglo State Forest in late 2010.

Information from an anonymous caller led police to photos of Khandalyce wearing a pink dress and with a handmade quilt, identical to those found in the suitcase at Wynarka.

Police were able to identify Khandalyce by matching a previous blood sample to DNA from the bones found in the suitcase.

The remains of Karlie Jade Pearce-Stevenson were found in Belanglo State Forest, New South Wales, in …

Describing the lines of inquiry as “very strong” and the searches “very productive”, Det-Supt Willing says police still believe people who knew the young mum and daughter personally “hold the key to their death”.

He said the mother and daughter visited Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide and Canberra at different times.

‘We are appealing for assistance from the community to help us identify their friends and associates as they travelled throughout Australia, as well as landlords, motels, caravan parks or campsites where they stayed during this time, ‘ Det Supt Willing said.

Police have released dash cam vision showing the suitcase at the centre Wynarka’s murder investigation.