A man accused of murdering a convicted child killer on a rural property in the central west will remain in custody after being refused bail.
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Thirty-three-year-old Eric James Forrest was charged with the murder of 53-year-old David Collisson after bones were discovered in a burnt-out tree stump on a property in Menah, nine kilometres north of Mudgee.
Police say Mr Collisson - who was on parole after serving almost two decades in prison for the murder of 17-year-old Shahab Kargarian in 2000 - had been visiting the Wilbertree Road property from Sydney.
He was reported missing on October 15, 2023 after he was unable to be located or contacted.
During an extensive search of the farm with assistance from the dog squad and police divers, detectives made the grisly discovery of "human-like" bones in a burnt-out tree trunk.
Forrest was arrested at Maroubra Police Station on Saturday, November 4, where he was charged with murder and multiple firearms offences.
In his absence, Forrest's application for bail was formally rejected at the Dubbo Local Court on Monday, November 6 and he will remain in custody at Sydney's Long Bay Correctional Centre.
Forrest will appear at Dubbo Local Court again on Thursday, January 11.
Alleged murder "unrelated" to Collisson's past, police say
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, detective superintendent Danny Doherty alleged Forrest shot Mr Collisson on September 25 during a "drug-related" dispute before allegedly disposing of his remains.
Police do not believe the alleged murder is related to Mr Collisson's prior conviction.
"[Mr Collison's] demise was not only unsavoury, I think you can only call it callously and in cold blooded - the way he's been killed," he said.
"At this stage, we've got a very strong circumstantial case against this 33-year-old man. There's a lot of evidence [that] has been gathered to date."
Superintendent Doherty said a "large number" of inquiries were still ongoing, with police still searching for a firearm linked to the death, and looking into associates of both men who may have more information.
"Mr Collinson was a fairly big bloke and it's a point where he was shot, we believe it would take more than one person," he said
"That's the scenario we are looking at."
Police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
"We believe there's a lot of people that may have knowledge of Mr Collison's murder and we urge people who have information to come forward and contact police," Superintendent Doherty said.
"It's important that they come forward otherwise police will be knocking on their door and making those inquiries in person."
