The ex-boyfriend of a missing mother has been charged with murder after her body was found in Queensland following a five-day search.
Jana Armstrong, 30, was last seen at her home in Newtown, Toowoomba, on July 7, and her white Hyundai Kona was left unlocked and parked in the middle of the road, sparking a desperate search involving local volunteers and emergency services.
The disability support worker’s family feared the worst after her disappearance, saying she would never leave her four-month-old baby boy, calling her “very caring and the best sister and aunty and an even better mother to her son”.
Queensland Police said on Sunday morning human remains had been found in bushland off Esk Hampton Road, Redbank Creek, on Saturday night, and although the body is yet to be identified investigators believe it is Ms Armstrong.
Police then arrested 48-year-old Dharminder Singh, the father of Ms Armstrong’s child, at a property on West Street in Harristown, and charged him with one count of domestic violence murder.
At a press conference on Sunday, Darling Downs acting detective inspector Brian Collins confirmed Singh had been charged and said while there were no domestic violence orders in place between him and Ms Armstrong, there was a DVO in place in relation to another former partner.
He said Singh was questioned early in the investigation and provided a statement as a witness, and that it was unclear where the baby was during the period in which his mother was allegedly murdered.
Singh will face Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Monday.
Ms Armstrong’s sister Faith Isaacs spoke out after the body was found and said her heart was “completely broken”.
“There are simply no words to describe the heartbreak and devastation I am feeling. Losing my beautiful sister in this way is something I will never be able to understand or put into words,” she wrote.
“I want to sincerely thank every single person who has messaged, called, shared Jana’s posts, searched for her, offered support and held us in their thoughts. The love and support shown for my sister and our family has been overwhelming, and I will never be able to thank you all enough.
“My beautiful Jana deserved so much more. She was so deeply loved and will be missed beyond words.”
Police are now appealing for anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage taken between Toowoomba and Esk, along Esk Hampton Road and the New England Highway, between 10.30pm on 7 July and 1.30am on 8 July, to come forward.
Header image: Left, Jana Armstrong (supplied). Right, Dharminder Singh (7News).
The post Ex charged with murder after missing mum found dead in bushland first appeared on The Noticer.
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