Belanglo bones are female: report

Human remains discovered in notorious Belanglo State Forest are reportedly those of
a woman, raising hopes of closure for some families with missing loved ones.
Police intensified their search of bushland in the NSW Southern Highlands on Tuesday
while the bones discovered by trail bike riders were moved to Sydney for forensic
analysis.
Both the Seven and Ten networks reported the remains were those of a woman but
police media and local police contacted by AAP were unable to confirm the reports.
Detectives also could not confirm whether the bones and a skull could be linked to
infamous serial killer Ivan Milat or to the disappearance of wealthy housewife Kerry
Whelan.
Milat, a former road worker currently serving seven life terms for the murder of
seven young backpackers, dumped the bodies of his victims in the same forest during
the early 1990s.
Ms Whelan, whose body has never been found, was kidnapped and murdered by Bruce
Burrell, who had a property near the forest.
Burrell was also convicted of murdering wealthy South Coogee widow Dorothy Davis,
whose body has also never been found.
Acting Superintendent Evan Quarmby refused to speculate on likely connections with
any criminal or missing person cases.
The remains, discovered near a fire trail, have been sent for scientific analysis
and will be examined by a forensic anthropologist.
"As our investigation proceeds and as we get evidence back from the experts in
relation to sex, age and how long the body's been there, that will allow us to
narrow down some of those inquiries," Supt Quarmby said.
Meanwhile, police continue to scour the dense forest for further evidence.
Specialist search coordinators arrived at the scene on Tuesday to help widen the
search area.
The remains were found on the edge of an area previously combed by police during
"historical" investigations, Supt Quarmby said, without specifying the Milat case.
Records of that search were being examined to help co-ordinate the current search,
he said.
"At this stage we have recovered a large amount of bones," he told reporters outside
Bowral police station.
"There was a skull. And numerous other bones have been located with the skull and in
that vicinity."
He refused to confirm reports that a clump of hair was also found at the scene.
Supt Quarmby said the families of some missing persons had contacted police.
Local detectives, State Crime Command's homicide squad, forensic specialists and
regional officers are now involved in the case.
The searches of Belanglo State Forest will continue until at least Wednesday.



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