Father-of-three whose body was found in a wheelie bin in a dam was 'murdered five days before the grisly discovery' as court reveals how he met his alleged KILLER

A 'high level' drug dealing father whose body was found in a wheelie bin in a dam was allegedly murdered five days before the grisly discovery, a court has heard.

Todd Nathan Kiernan, 28, was charged with the murder of Dinh Lam Nguyen and faced Perth Magistrate’s Court on Thursday afternoon.

The charge read to Mr Kiernan by Magistrate Joe Randazzo alleges he murdered Mr Nguyen at Mahogany Creek on January 20, the last day Mr Nguyen was seen alive.

It was also revealed the pair were allegedly drug business partners and had met in jail when they were both serving time for meth dealing offences.

Police are still investigating if the business associates had been in a dispute over money, which resulted in Nguyen's death.

The 28-year-old man has been charged with murder after the body of Dinh Lam Nguyen was found in a wheelie bin at Glen Brook Dam in Perth on Monday

A 'foul smell' led a group of teenagers and an adult to open the wheelie bin, which contained Nguyen's decomposing body wrapped in pink plastic

After Nguyen, 51, was last seen in Balga, north of Perth's CBD, on January 20, he was then reported missing two days later by his roommate.

On January 25, his rotting remains were discovered dumped in the Glen Brook Dam. 

A 'foul smell' led a group of teenagers and an adult to open the wheelie bin, which contained Nguyen's decomposing body wrapped in pink plastic. 

On Thursday, WA Police confirmed a 28-year-old man had been charged with murder following an investigation into Nguyen's death.  

Detectives were led to Nguyen's missing car - a blue Mazda 3 sedan - following a press conference where they appealed for information on Wednesday. 

The vehicle was allegedly found burnt out in bushland in Chidlow, about 45km east of Perth.  

Acting Detective Inspector Sean Wright on Wednesday said Nguyen had left behind children, some based in Perth.

'They are going through the grieving process, they are very distraught,' he said.

'They are going to give us some lifestyle ... so we know more about him. 

'Mr Nguyen is known to police. We need to identify what caused his death and who did it.' 

Acting Detective inspector Wright also confirmed members of the public were alerted to the wheelie bin due to its foul odour. 

'The circumstances surrounding human remains in a bin at a picnic site in a dam is highly unusual,' he said.

Gruesome images show the father-of-three's body being pulled out of the dam after being discovered in a wheelie bin on Monday

Police on the scene (pictured above) after Nguyen's remains were discovered in a wheelie bin

The Vietnamese national is a convicted drug dealer who was sentenced to three years in jail after he was caught with ice in 2016, The West Australian reported.  

Nguyen was found with 27 grams of the illicit drug when he was pulled over by police in South Greenough, around 380km north of Perth, in August 2016. 

A large dagger was also found in his car.

The father had been on bail at the time for being caught with 16.88g of ice with the intent to sell or supply - as well as possessing a knife.

He was sentenced to three years behind bars in 2017 and during his hearing he was labelled a 'higher level' drug dealer.  

Nguyen also had violence, traffic, damage and dishonesty convictions. He moved to Australia in 1990 to avoid army conscription.

Kiernan was remanded in custody to face court again on February 24 via video link.

Detectives were led to Nguyen's car - a blue Mazda 3 sedan - following a press conference on Wednesday