A dog walker has described the ‘surreal’ moment his Beagle Benji stumbled across what police believe to be the severed head of an alleged murder victim.
The grisly discovery was made in scrubland near Port Lincoln in South on Thursday and comes six weeks after Julian Story’s suspected murder.
His partner, former Beauty and the Geek contestant Tamika Chesser, has been charged with his murder but is yet to be formally interviewed by police.
Tyson McCallum said his routine dog walk took a dramatic turn when Benji ran into bushland and wouldn’t come back when called.
‘I just went in a bit closer and kind of made the connection pretty quickly as to what I thought it was,’ McCallum told 9News.
‘(It was) pretty surreal to be honest,’ he added. ‘I was kind of like, “No way, it’s not what I think it is, surely not”. But it was too coincidental.’
Police believe the remains are Mr Story’s, though forensic testing is underway to formally confirm the identity.
‘They’ve obviously been through a lot, can’t even imagine it,’ McCallum said.
‘To have it I guess finalised, they can get some closure which will hopefully bring them some peace.’
As for Benji, McCallum said the sharp-nosed pup would be rewarded.
‘He will definitely get a few extra treats,’ he said.
Chesser has been charged with murder and with interfering with human remains to pervert the course of justice.
Authorities on Friday expanded their search of the area, with police and State Emergency Service crews (SES) combing the reserve. Cadaver dogs were also deployed in the hunt for further remains.
Forensic teams have collected several items from the scene, which have been sent to Adelaide for examination.
Chesser appeared in Port Lincoln Magistrates Court with a shaved head via video link on Thursday, with a shaved head, in relation to three separate matters.
The former cocktail waitress was thrust into the spotlight at the age of 19 when she appeared on series two of the Seven Network show in 2010.