Port Lincoln cold case murder arrest

The breakthrough in the cold case was made late today following the discovery of human remains, believed to be those of Susan Goodwin, buried in the backyard of a Port Lincoln house.

A 64-year-old man from Port Lincoln has been charged with murder and will appear in Port Lincoln Magistrates Court tomorrow, Thursday 18 September.

Susan Goodwin was reported missing on Friday 19 July 2002 from her home on Moonta Crescent at Port Lincoln.

Susan was last seen around lunchtime that day, after shopping at Coles and Woolworths in Port Lincoln. At about 4.45pm Susan's vehicle was found in the driveway of her home address.

Extensive searches in areas surrounding Port Lincoln over the past two decades have been unsuccessful in locating her remains.

The renewed search in recent days, with the assistance of Port Lincoln and Australian Federal Police officers, focused on a property in Pamir Court at Port Lincoln. The new search used specialised radar equipment provided by the AFP.

Early on Wednesday, initial excavations discovered bones that were examined by an anthropologist from Forensic Science SA. This examination confirmed they are human remains. Additional resources from SAPOL's Forensic Response Section and Major Crime Investigation Branch have travelled to Port Lincoln to continue investigations.

Major Crime Investigation Branch Acting Detective Superintendent Andrew Macrae said today's breakthrough followed an ongoing review of the cold case and all available evidence.

"It does not matter how old the case is, we will continue to review all available evidence and look for opportunities to resolve the matter," he said.

"This investigation is 23 years old and should provide reassurance to the family and friends of other victims that Major Crime Investigation Branch continues to investigate cold case homicides.

"We would not have discovered these remains without information from the public. I would implore anyone who has information about any homicide to put themselves in the position of a family or friend of the victim and come forward by either contacting police directly or by contacting Crime Stoppers."