hannah richieBBC News, Sydney
jesse bairdAustralian police say two bodies have been discovered during the search for missing Sydney couple Jesse Baird and Luke Davis.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said: “We are very confident that we have located Luke and Jesse.”
Beaumont Lamarre-Condon, a police officer who once dated TV presenter Baird, had previously been charged with murder.
The body was found in a rural area in the town of Bungonia.
Police said Lamar-Condon initially refused to cooperate with investigators, but on Tuesday morning he finally revealed the whereabouts of the two bodies.
Superintendent Daniel Doherty said the body was found “near the entrance to the property” and attempts were made to “cover the body with rocks and debris”.
He added that police believe two “surf bags” were used to transport the deceased couple from Mr Baird's inner-city Paddington home in a white van.
Investigators found bullets there last week that matched the gun Lamarre-Condon had been issued while on duty, as well as a “substantial amount” of blood and overturned furniture.
Lamar-Condon, who appeared in court on Friday but was denied bail, has not commented on the charges against him. He first joined the police force in 2019 and was previously a celebrity blogger.
Police learned that Mr Lamar-Condon had visited the Bungonia property last Wednesday with an acquaintance in a white van believed to be transporting two bodies. We started focusing on the site.
Police said Lamar-Condon cut off the lock on the gate, left a female acquaintance there, drove his van to the property, and returned 30 minutes later.
The incident, which has shocked Australia and is believed to be the first suspected murder by a New South Wales police officer in decades, has prompted a review of police officers' access to firearms during off-hours. It has been demanded.
EPAOrganizers of Sydney's iconic Mardi Gras parade have also disinvited New South Wales Police from this year's march, a decision that has sparked intense online debate and the murder case. This caused disappointment from police, who said it was a crime of “passion” rather than related to “homophobia.” ”.
Sydney's Mardi Gras parade has had a checkered history of LGBTQ+ activism and police violence since the first march in 1978, when dozens of people were beaten and arrested by local police officers.
But in the decades since then, it has become a unifying event, with uniformed police officers participating every year since 1998.
Tributes have poured in for Mr Baird, a former presenter and red carpet reporter, and Mr Davies, who worked as a cabin crew member for Qantas.
“Obviously Jesse and Luke were very active members of the community. I look at their photos online and I know they lived a wonderful life,” Chief Webb said.
