EXCLUSIVE
A family member of Keith Lees say they are ‘stunned and relieved’ by his shock arrest over the alleged murder of his former partner almost 30 years ago.
Lees, 72, was arrested in Sydney on Thursday on a warrant for the alleged murder of Queensland woman Meaghan Louise Rose, 25, in July 1997.
Lees arrest comes a year-and-a-half after he was questioned by homicide detectives during an investigation into the the unsolved death 27 years ago.
One of his adult children Wren Dawnsong, who had been living with Lees when Ms Rose was allegedly killed, told Daily Mail his arrest was a ‘huge relief’.
‘I’m stunned and relieved that he’s been found finally and I’m very grateful to the public who came forward with the right information at the right time,’ they said.
‘It’s been really stressful.’
Wren wasn’t surprised to learn his father had wound up in Sydney.
‘He could have literally been anywhere in the country. My only real surprise is that he was on the run for a year and a half. I didn’t think he had it in him!’ they said.
‘But he’s a tough bastard and I’m just glad he’s been found.’
Wren has spoken out about the disappearance of Lees in the past, telling reporters in 2023 he should ‘man up’ and turn himself in.
They believe an episode of the n True Crime Podcast released last week prompted a member of the public to share new information with police.
The podcast featured interviews with both Wren and Ms Rose’s sister Christine.
‘To have a result almost immediately is breathtakingly amazing,’ Wren said.
Wren was just 11-years-old and living with Lees when Ms Rose died.
Her body was found at the foot of a Point Cartwright cliff at Mooloolaba in southern Queensland in July 1997.
The death was initially deemed non-suspicious and no inquest was held.
But the case was reopened in 2009 amid revelations that Lees had taken out a life insurance policy in Ms Rose’s name before she died.
Homicide detectives visited a home in Victoria in June 2023 to speak with Lees, then aged 70, in relation to their investigation.
A day later he had disappeared, with his car found abandoned at Portland.
In July 2023, police issued an arrest warrant for Lees and continued to search for him. He was spotted on CCTV around Victoria in the ensuing days.
Authorities said at the time Lees may have been seeking casual work in the farming and fruit picking industries. The public was warned not to approach him.
Police took him to Hornsby Police Station on Thursday where he was charged with the outstanding warrant.
NSW Police also laid fresh charges against him as they allege he tried to bite an officer while in custody.
Lees was charged with assault police officer in execution of duty without aggravated bodily harm, deal with identity information to commit etc indictable offence, and possess identity information to commit etc indictable offence.
He was refused bail and was due to appear in Parramatta Local Court on Friday.
Lees previously served 18 years in jail for the 2001 murder of Barry Waters, whose headless body he dumped in bushland in Reefton, Victoria.
He had been a friend of Mr Waters and started a romantic affair with the man’s wife.