Man Charged With Liesl Smith's Murder

Arrested in New England.


Article heading image for Man Charged With Liesl Smith's Murder

A man has been charged with murder over the disappearance of Leisl Smith, who went missing from the Central Coast six years ago.

At about 5.10pm yesterday, detectives from Tuggerah Lakes Police District arrested a 48-year-old man on the Gwydir Highway, west of Inverell.

He's since been charged and refused bail and will appear in Inverell Local Court today.

Leisl Smith, then aged 23, was last seen about 1pm on Sunday 19 August 2012, leaving her Wallarah home.

Concerned family members alerted police when she failed to return home and she could not be located or contacted.

Extensive searches were conducted for Leisl; however, police have been unable to locate her.

Strike Force Wehl – comprising detectives from Tuggerah Lakes Police District – was subsequently formed to investigate her disappearance.

Leisl’s car, a Honda Accord, was found abandoned at the Tuggerah Railway Station car park on Wednesday 26 September 2012.

Strike Force detectives spoke to a then 42-year-old man before searching two properties in Wallarah and Brookfield on Thursday 4 April 2013, seizing a number of items.

Further properties were searched bordering the Golden Highway at Merriwa, approximately 60km west of Scone, in the upper Hunter Valley.

The investigation has been ongoing since this time.

18 October 2018




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