A 45-year-old man has been arrested after a woman’s body was found in green waste at a recycling tip in Melbourne’s north last week.
Police said staff at Repurpose It, a waste-management facility on Cooper Street in Epping, found the body while moving waste last Wednesday. Police believe the woman was a 67-year-old from Coolaroo.
Investigators believe the woman’s remains were inside a bin that was picked up outside a property on Hilgay Street in Coolaroo last Tuesday and taken to the Epping waste facility, about eight kilometres away.
On Tuesday morning, police announced that homicide detectives had arrested a 45-year-old Coolaroo man in Glenroy about 11.15am and would interview him.
“The woman, who is yet to be formally identified, is believed to be a 67-year-old Coolaroo woman,” police said in a statement. “It’s believed the pair were known to each other.
“A significant CCTV canvass of the Coolaroo area remains ongoing and police are keen to speak to anyone who may have CCTV or dashcam footage, particularly between Sunday, June 23, and Tuesday, July 2.”
The man is expected to be charged later today.
On Saturday, forensic officers and homicide detectives spent hours inspecting a brick house on Hilgay Street, photographing items on a blue tarpaulin in the driveway and searching through bins.