Police are using hi-tech equipment to search beneath the Brisbane house of an elderly mother of 11 after she was charged with the murder of her son who police say has not been seen since the 1960s.
Inala, in Brisbane’s west, was alive with activity on Thursday as homicide detectives swooped on the home of Maureen Anne Enright, 76, in a search for the body of missing four-year-old Peter John Enright.
Police used special ground-penetrating radar equipment to search underneath the Polaris St house and spent the day combing through her yard.
Mrs Enright has been charged with Peter’s murder in the 1960s.
The frail grandmother briefly appeared in Richlands Magistrates Court that same morning before her case was adjourned to December 11.
The Courier Mail reports Mrs Enright had claimed for decades Peter was sent to live with another family, was given up for adoption or was put into a home.
Police said they had obtained records of Peter’s birth and had trawled adoption records but found no evidence of him being adopted.
It is understood a family member approached police in August with information about the boy.
Homicide Detective Inspector Damien Hansen told the media on Thursday that family members had been questioned.
He said officers had found no proof the boy was alive past 1968 or 1969.
Police say the boy was never reported missing.
“There were 11 children in the family and he was number four in the family,” Det Insp Hansen told reporters.
“They were aware that Peter existed and they’ve given us versions for that.
“We’re searching for remains … whether we are able to retrieve any remains given time and acidity of soil.” he said.
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