The murder of Charlise Mutten has captured the attention of the whole world.
The nine-year-old was presumed missing in mid-January, only for police to then discover she had been murdered by her mother’s fiancé.
Here’s everything we know about the case:
Charlise lived in Queensland, Australia in the Coolangatta region with her grandmother.
The nine-year-old girl was on holiday in the Blue Mountains area, spending time with her mother, Kallista Mutten, and her fiancé Justin Stein.
They were staying at the Wildenstein Private Gardens in Mount Wilson, a lavish wedding venue that is owned by Stein’s family.
Police were told Charlise was last seen on Thursday, January 13, on the veranda of the Mount Wilson property. She was however not reported missing until 8.20 am Friday, January 14.
NSW Police used geo-targeting messaging, asking locals if they had seen the young girl or any suspicious activity nearby.
A large-scale coordinated search operation began in the Blue Mountains area, consisting of over a hundred police and emergency personnel such as dog units, police helicopters, and the SES searching dense bushland for the little girl.
On Tuesday, January 18, police found a barrel in the bush near the Colo River. Inside the barrel was human remains, later identified as nine-year-old Charlise Mutten.
The remains are “consistent with the missing nine-year-old”, Acting Commissioner Karen Webb said when the discovery was made.
Investigators have since discovered Charlise was killed between 7 pm on Tuesday, January 11, and 10 am on Wednesday, according to court documents.
Police revealed Charlise was shot dead before her body was dumped in a barrel.
Detective Superintendent Doherty said a post mortem revealed the girl suffered a gunshot wound.
He said as far as he knew, Stein was not a registered gun owner.
“Charlise suffered a fatal gunshot wound and that’s how she died. It’s important that the public know that this is an unimaginable and egregious murder of a child. Investigations are still ongoing,” he told reporters.
Police arrested Stein at a Surry Hills unit in Sydney last Tuesday night.
31-year-old Justin Stein – the boyfriend of the young girl’s mother – has been charged with the murder of Charlise.
Detective Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said it would be alleged Charlise’s stepdad Stein was alone with the little girl at the Wildenstein property on the evening of Tuesday, January 11, and took her life.
Detective Superintendent Doherty also told reporters that police would allege the barrel Charlise was found in had been taken from Wildenstein, suggesting the alleged murder occurred on the property.
Police have also released CCTV footage of a red Holden Colorado ute that was seen driving around and towing a boat in the inner Sydney suburb of Drummoyne followed by the northern areas of Wisemans Ferry and Colo River.
They allege Stein had previously tried to float a “covered up” boat at an inner-Sydney dock after buying sandbags from a hardware store, before traveling back to the Colo River.
In the back of the red ute was a blue tarp covering a barrel-shaped object in its tray. Mr Doherty said the security footage showing this had proven crucial in the investigation.
“When you see the CCTV footage there’s a tarp on the back of the ute. What I can also say is that at some stage after leaving the Colo River, that item wasn’t on the ute when it stopped at another service station on Bells Line Road at Kurmond,” he said.
Colo River is where the barrel was eventually located.
Stein appeared via video link in Sydney’s Central Local Court last Wednesday where his lawyer asked magistrate Robert Williams for an order to “protect his personal safety”.
Stein’s lawyer said his client had been under long-term care for “mental health problems” and had been prescribed a fairly high dose of antipsychotic drugs quetiapine and risperidone for many years.
The magistrate said he would order Justice Health to assess Stein’s mental health needs but his prison status was up to Corrective Service NSW.
The court was told the case, due back in court on March 18 in Penrith, involved some “complexities”
Police believe Stein acted alone in the murder, detectives relying on GPS data and CCTV to find the barrel.
Charlise’s mother, Kallista Mutten, was not at the property at the time, Detective Superintendent Doherty explained. Police say there was no evidence that puts her at the property at the time of the murder.
Stein was alone with Charlise on the night of her murder on Tuesday night.
The Daily Telegraph has reported Ms. Mutten was staying at the caravan park the Riviera Ski Garden in Lower Portland, at the time of her daughter’s alleged murder, roughly 80km east from the Wildenstein property.
The caravan Ms. Mutten was believed to be staying in at the time of her daughter’s death has been declared a crime scene and is now under police guard.
She then suffered a medical episode after her daughter’s disappearance. Ms. Mutten has since been re-interviewed and released from medical care and is now being treated as a witness.
“The formal statement corroborates the original version she provided, and with the evidence we have, we’re treating her as a witness,” Mr. Doherty said.
Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Charlise’s biological father took to social media on Wednesday morning to share his devastation about the loss of his daughter.
“We will get the answers for you baby, and we will honor you properly. This is not the end of you or your story Charlise.”
Additional tributes began to flow in for the nine-year-old, including those from her school community.
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