A former British government search expert has stated that the likelihood of locating the body of murdered backpacker Peter Falconio remains 'reasonably high', despite the death of his killer, Bradley John Murdoch, without revealing the disposal site.
Dr Mark Harrison, a world-leading consultant in 'no-body' homicide cases, was involved in the search for Falconio at the request of Northern Territory police in 2006. He produced two reports in 2007 and 2008 that identified five likely locations where Falconio's body may have been disposed of.
Harrison told the Guardian that he is not aware if his search strategy was ever implemented, as it required international expertise and specialist equipment beyond typical Australian policing capabilities at the time. He believes technological advances over the past 15 years could now aid in locating the remains.
Murdoch, who was convicted of Falconio's murder in 2005, died of throat cancer on Tuesday without confessing to the crime or revealing where he left the body. He had maintained his innocence until his death.
Harrison emphasised that the five sites identified in his reports are based on evidence, behavioural profiling, and physical assessments. He expressed willingness to discuss further search activities with Northern Territory police, noting that policing agencies often lack the specialised expertise required for such searches.
