Skeletal remains of young female chef, 27, are found in dense bushland three years after she was shot in the head and buried in a forest
Skeletal remains found in a dense bushland are believed to be those of a young woman who went missing more than three years ago.
Allecha Boyd, 27, was last seen in the township of Coolamon in the NSW Riverina on August 10, 2017.
Police at the time were alerted to the suspicious circumstances surrounding her disappearance and suspected she had been murdered.
Allecha Boyd, 27, was last seen in the township of Coolamon in the NSW Riverina on August 10, 2017
Ms Boyd, a cousin of Collingwood AFL footballer Will Hoskin-Elliott, was reported missing on August 22, 2017 (pictured, police searching the area on Tuesday)
Investigators and specialist forensic officers began a search in the Lester State Forest, about 20km southwest of Coolamon, and discovered skeletal remains on Tuesday afternoon.
Riverina Police District Commander Superintendent Bob Noble said police believe the remains are those of Ms Boyd.
'The loss of a loved one is never easy to deal with, but we hope the Boyd family will soon be able to say goodbye to Allecha,' Supt Noble said.
The remains will undergo a forensic examination and DNA testing as part of the formal identification process.
Ms Boyd, a cousin of Collingwood AFL footballer Will Hoskin-Elliott, was reported missing on August 22, 2017, after her bank accounts, phone and social media accounts had been inactive for almost two weeks.
The remains will undergo a forensic examination and DNA testing as part of the formal identification process
Ms Boyd (pictured on CCTV footage), a cousin of Collingwood AFL footballer Will Hoskin-Elliott, was reported missing on August 22, 2017 after her bank accounts, phone and social media accounts had been inactive for almost two weeks
Her disappearance remained a mystery for months with police desperately searching the area hoping to find her body.
Two men - aged 19 and 37 - were charged in 2017 and a 35-year-old woman was charged in 2018 in relation to her murder.
In February, Samuel John Shephard, 39, pleaded guilty to her murder and was sentenced to 27 years and seven months in prison.
The court heard how he had shot her after his lover confronted Ms Boyd about a break and enter at her home.
Ms Boyd's disappearance remained a mystery for months with police desperately searching the area hoping to find her body (pictured, the area where the remains were discovered)