DNA tests have confirmed that bones and fragments found near Butlers Falls in early December do indeed belong to murdered Dubbo woman Lateesha Nolan.
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Officers attached to Strike Force Durkin, combined with a number of specialist outfits, spent two days scouring the area after a passer-by had earlier discovered a femur bone and taken it to police.
Once that bone was confirmed to belong to Ms Nolan, it sparked the two-day operation which was just metres away from a site where her cousin and killer, Malcolm Naden, had led police to after his capture in 2012.
A press release from NSW Police Media stated that the various tests done on the remains found revealed they belonged to Ms Nolan, who went missing in early 2005.
“DNA analysis of bones located near Butlers Falls during the two-day special operation has confirmed they belong to 24-year-old mother Lateesha Nolan,” the statement read.
“Officers associated with the State Homicide Squad’s Strike Force Durkin have notified the family, who have requested privacy at this time.”
The confirmation ends a grisly chapter of Dubbo’s history, with homicide squad commander Detective Superintender Mick Willing admitting it was a pleasing outcome.
“I guess it finally brings a bit of closure to the family but it is a bittersweet outcome,” he said.
“We’ll continue to work closely with Lateesha’s family, and will return the remains when they are ready and the time is right.”