A pair has been charged over the alleged homicide of Amber Haigh, a NSW teen who vanished with no hint virtually 20 years in the past.
Robert Geeves and his spouse, Anne Geeves, each aged 61, have been arrested at a property at Harden, within the state's south-west, about 7.30am as we speak.
Ms Haigh had been residing with the pair on the time of her disappearance.
The arrests come simply over per week after the reward for info in Ms Haigh's case was elevated to $1 million.
Mr and Ms Geeves have been taken to Younger police station and charged with one depend every of homicide.
Mr Geeves was additionally charged with alleged aggravated sexual assault of a sufferer with a severe mental incapacity.
They have been refused bail to look at court docket tomorrow.
"We will probably be alleging the person and girl, each 61, have been residing in a property at Kingsvale on the time and police will allege they have been chargeable for the homicide of Amber," Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty mentioned earlier as we speak.
Previous to the arrests, a white Suzuki Sierra was seized from Thurgoona on April 28 for forensic examination.
"We'll allege the automobile that was seized in Thurgoona was initially owned by the person and girl who're charged as we speak for the homicide," Superintendent Doherty mentioned.
Ms Haigh disappeared on June 5, 2002, after planning to go to her sick father at Mount Druitt Hospital in Sydney.
Mr and Ms Geeves allegedly instructed police they dropped Ms Haigh off at Campbelltown prepare station.
That night cash was withdrawn from Ms Haigh's checking account from an ATM in Campbelltown.
Superintendent Doherty mentioned police would allege Ms Haigh was killed within the Harden-Younger space.
"Police will allege within the details later she by no means made it to Sydney," he mentioned.
"We are going to allege Amber met her demise within the Harden-Younger space and by no means made it to Sydney and as I've mentioned earlier than it was a really tragic occasion."
Superintendent Doherty mentioned Ms Haigh's household have been "ecstatic, elated and clearly extremely emotional" over the arrests.
"They have been each elated and crying on the cellphone on the identical time," he mentioned.
The $1 million reward stays for any details about the situation of Ms Haigh's stays.
"The household is de facto eager to search out the stays of Amber and put her to relaxation," Superintendent Doherty mentioned.
Ms Haigh's household have lengthy believed she grew to become the sufferer of foul play.
In an attraction for info issued final week, Ms Haigh's mom, Rosalind Wright, mentioned she "is aware of in her coronary heart she would by no means have left".
Her sister Melissa Millar-Hodder described Ms Haigh as a "sort, loving soul".
"She would assist anybody, anyway she will if she wanted assist," she mentioned.
"... the impression this has had is feeling incomplete, feeling misplaced.
"Not realizing the place she is and what occurred to Amber, not even to put her to relaxation, or choose up the cellphone or give her hugs one final time; that has been taken away from us."
In 2011, a coronial inquest discovered Ms Haigh was deceased, having died on account of murder or different misadventure in early June 2002.
In 2020, a proper evaluate of the case was performed underneath the Murder Squad's unsolved murder framework and a re-investigation commenced by detectives connected to Strike Drive Villamar II.