The family of a missing Sydney father and businessman, who police say was murdered four years ago, have visited the site where skeletal remains were found in bushland west of Wollongong.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Police investigating the 2014 disappearance of Minh Phuoc “Paul” Nguyen first discovered bones, believed to be human, during a coordinated search of thick scrub at Cordeaux on Tuesday.
Detectives from Strike Force Awols, set up by the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad to investigate Mr Nguyen’s murder, began searching private property off Harry Graham Drive about 8am.
Investigators continued to scour the area for items of interest on Wednesday and discovered more bones.
On Wednesday morning, NSW Police forensic services officers were seen combing through vegetation.
Officers used buckets to collect leaves, twigs and soil before using their hands and a sieve to sift through it.
Later, members of Mr Nguyen’s family arrived at the site; escorted to the area by detectives.
The search will continue on Thursday.
Mr Nguyen was last seen driving a luxury golden hire car out of the Hilton Hotel in the Sydney CBD about 9.50pm on May 1, 2014.
Police suspect the then-50-year-old was later murdered at a Bankstown unit block, where a blood stain was found on the carpet.
In 2015, 23-year-old Casula man Zulfukar Aljubouri was charged with Mr Nguyen’s murder. A 19-year-old from Liverpool was charged with being an accessory after the fact.
The murder charge has since been dismissed; Aljubouri has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter and unlawfully disposing of a corpse. He remains in custody awaiting sentence.
Despite a number of police searches, including one earlier this month, neither Mr Nguyen’s body or his hire car have been found.
A search of a motel room at Casula three days after his disappearance uncovered an airline boarding pass.
Police have previously said Mr Nguyen's associations with organised crime may have made him a target.
The Mercury understands Aljubouri led investigators to the Cordeaux location. A NSW Police spokeswoman would only say detectives acted on information received.
The remains found during the Cordeaux search – which involved the riot squad, the dog unit, and the rescue and bomb disposal unit – will be forensically examined to determine their identity.
It is also understood police searched an area in nearby Mount Keira two weeks ago in relation to Mr Nguyen’s death.
The Mount Keira area been searched in the past by police investigating the disappearance and suspected murder of underworld figure Goran Nikolovski.
