On a steep stretch of bushland above a quiet Lane Cove North street, on Sydney's lower north shore, a sofa was found holding what police believe are the remains of an adult man, and the ordinary rhythm of a neighbourhood gave way to investigation. The discovery reminds us how thin the line can be between a familiar walking track and a place where things are left to be forgotten. Detectives are now working backward from the remains toward the questions that matter most: who he was, how long he lay there, and where his life ended. Until those answers come, the community waits in an uneasy calm,
Human torso found in sofa in Lane Cove North bushland prompts Sydney homicide investigation
An adult man, believed to be the victim, has been found dead in a sofa dumped in bushland, and the case is being treated as a homicide.
A sofa, five metres off the road, and a torso devoid of head, arms and legs
Mark
Why has this one drawn so much attention? Dumping in that bush isn't new.
Mimi
That's the contrast. A resident of nearly thirty years says the slope gets rubbish dumped on it. This time it was a sofa holding a torso, found after people complained about the smell.
Mark
Residents first thought the smell was an animal?
Mimi
Rodney Campbell did. He said Wednesday was the first day they noticed it, and he assumed a dead animal, though a very old death. Police say the remains had been there at least a couple of days.
Luke
Careful with that. "At least a couple of days" is police describing signs at the scene. It's not a time of death, and it's not a finding from a post-mortem.
Mark
What do we actually know about the man?
Luke
Very little. Police believe he was an adult male. The remains have no head, arms or legs, so identity isn't established in what's been reported.
Mimi
The search is for the rest of the remains. That's why PolAir and a cadaver dog are involved.
Mark
Police said there's no apparent threat to locals. Is that firm?
Luke
It's a hedged statement. Devaney said there's no indication this person met foul play in the Lane Cove area, then added that it's very early and inquiries are ongoing. It could mean the death happened elsewhere, but that's an inference. Police haven't said it.
Mimi
Residents just want to feel safe in the bush again. Amthea's daughter walks there almost daily.
Mark
And what can the public do?
Mimi
Police want dashcam or security camera footage that might be relevant.
El Pulso
- A sofa found five metres off a Lane Cove North roadway held a headless, armless, legless torso, and the street went quiet overnight.
- Residents first noticed a strong odour on Wednesday afternoon, and police arrived at about 2.30pm to find what they believe is an adult man's body.
- Homicide detectives, PolAir and a cadaver dog are combing the steep bushland while officers appeal for dashcam and security footage.
- Neighbours who walk these tracks daily are rattled, though police insist there is no apparent threat to locals and the case is still at a very early stage.
On a steep stretch of bushland above a quiet Lane Cove North street, on Sydney's lower north shore, a sofa was found holding what police believe are the remains of an adult man, and the ordinary rhythm of a neighbourhood gave way to investigation. The discovery reminds us how thin the line can be between a familiar walking track and a place where things are left to be forgotten. Detectives are now working backward from the remains toward the questions that matter most: who he was, how long he lay there, and where his life ended. Until those answers come, the community waits in an uneasy calm, and the search continues.
On Thursday morning, a narrow street in Lane Cove North stayed closed to the people who live on it. Police cars lined the road, and officers moved through the bush on foot, in their second day of searching for human remains. The trouble had begun the afternoon before, when residents reported a strong odour and officers found a sofa about five metres off the roadway. Inside was a torso, without head, arms or legs, believed to belong to an adult man who had been there for at least a couple of days.
Rodney Campbell, who has lived nearby for almost thirty years, walks his dog along that street almost every day. He noticed something was wrong when he saw police working his usual route. He had first taken the smell for a dead animal, but he said the bushland has long been a dumping ground, with steep ground that falls away from the road. "I'm a bit shocked, I guess, because this doesn't happen in this area," he said. Another resident, who asked not to be named, said the discovery was out of character for a place where neighbours walk the tracks alone every day, and her own daughter goes there almost daily. "I just would like to understand what happened, so that we can feel comfortable continuing to use the bushes," she said.
The state's homicide squad has taken over the inquiry. Police are asking anyone with dashcam or security footage to come forward. Superintendent Paul Devaney said there was no indication the man met foul play in Lane Cove, but he cautioned that the investigation is in its very early stages. For now, the questions are who the man was, how long he had been there, and where he died. The search of the bushland continues.
On Thursday morning, a narrow street in Lane Cove North, on Sydney's lower north shore, stayed closed to the people who live on it. Police cars and detectives lined the road, and groups of officers worked through the bush on foot. They were in their second day of searching for human remains after a torso was found in the bushland the afternoon before.
Police were called to the area at about 2.30pm on Wednesday. Supt Paul Devaney told media on Thursday that they had received "a number of reports from members of the public" about a strong odour. Officers found a sofa about five metres off the roadway. Inside were human remains that Devaney described as "a torso … devoid of head, arms and legs." Police believe the remains are those of an adult man, and there were signs they had been there for "at least a couple of days."
Detectives and the state's homicide squad have launched an investigation. The Aviation Command (PolAir) and a cadaver dog were also brought in to help with the search. Police have asked anyone with relevant information to come forward, including people with dashcam or security camera footage.
Rodney Campbell, 60, has lived nearby for almost 30 years and walks his dog, Mochi, along the street "pretty much every day." He realised something was wrong on Wednesday afternoon when he saw police scouting his usual route. "There was two cars and there was one policeman there, the others were presumably in the bush," he said. "I'm a bit shocked, I guess, because this doesn't happen in this area. It's usually very quiet here."
Campbell said Wednesday was the first day the smell was noticeable. He took it for a dead animal, having smelled the like on farms, but one that had been dead "for a very long time." He also said the bushland has long been a spot for illegal dumping because the ground is steep and drops away from the street. "Stuff does get dumped here … just rubbish, the sort of stuff that people would throw away and don't want to take to the tip," he said.
Another resident, who gave her name as Amthea and asked that her full name not be published, was also out with her dog on Thursday. She called the discovery "very scary and out of character for this area" and said she could recall only "one other major incident" in her 21 years there. She said many neighbours walk those bushland tracks every day, often alone, and that her daughter does so almost daily. "I just would like to understand what happened, so that we can feel comfortable continuing to use the bushes," she said.
Devaney tried to reassure residents, saying there was no apparent threat to locals. "There is no indication that this person met foul play within the area of Lane Cove," he said. He added a caution: "it is very early stages in the investigation and we are still undertaking numerous and comprehensive inquiries."
The search of the bushland continues. The immediate questions for investigators are who the man was, how long he had been there, and where he died. Footage from the public may help answer them.
Citas Notables
There is no indication that this person met foul play within the area of Lane Cove. But it is very early stages in the investigation.— Supt Paul Devaney, NSW Police
I'm a bit shocked, I guess, because this doesn't happen in this area. It's usually very quiet here.— Rodney Campbell, local resident
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