Breakthrough in the case of missing Woolworths shopper Maryam Hamka, with police locating what they believe to be her body in the bush near the iconic Cape Schanck
- Toby Loughnane to stand trial in Hamka’s death
- She was captured on CCTV leaving the Brunswick store.
- A blood-like appearance was found on the carpet in Loughnane’s home.
- Loughnane has pleaded not guilty to her murder.
The body of missing Melbourne woman Maryam Hamka is believed to have been found in a bush more than two years after she went missing.
Victoria Police Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan will lead a press conference on Monday in connection with the discovery of a body at Cape Schanck earlier today.
The discovery comes just weeks after Toby Loughnane was ordered to stand trial for the murder of his ex-partner in April 2021.
A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed that the human remains, believed to be Ms Hamka’s, were located at around 10:30am Monday in a bush near Rogers Road, near Patterson Road.
Loughnane has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his ex-partner and faces trial in the High Court of Victoria.
Melbourne woman Maryam Hamka (pictured) went missing in April 2021. Her body was found on Monday.
Ms Hamka, 36, was last seen leaving a Woolworths supermarket in Brunswick city center on April 10, 2021 after telling her family she was visiting a friend in Brighton.
A significant blood-like stain was found on a section of the carpet at the bottom of the stairs at Loughnane’s Brighton home, the court heard last month.
But no DNA profile could be obtained from the sample, forensic expert Maxwell Jones told the court.
That could be because a small amount of blood was spread, consistent with situations where a person has tried to clean up the blood, he said.
“That may be one explanation for why we got such a broad luminol reaction in that area of the carpet,” he said.
Maryam Hamka was captured on CCTV leaving a Woolworths supermarket in Brunswick city center on April 10, 2021. It was the last time she was seen alive.
Judge Johanna Metcalf found after an indictment hearing that began in May that there was sufficient evidence to support a murder conviction even without Ms Hamka’s remains.
Another man, Oscar Newman, will also stand trial on charges of helping Loughnane avoid arrest between April 11 and 15.
He has also pleaded not guilty.
Loughnane remains behind bars in custody while Newman remains on bail.
Maryam Hamka (pictured) disappeared without a trace after telling her family she was visiting a friend in Brighton.
