A 28-year-old serving police officer has been charged with two counts of murder during an investigation into the disappearance of former Channel Ten presenter Jesse Baird and his Qantas flight attendant partner, Luke Davies.
Police on Friday alleged that ballistic testing at the Paddington home of Baird – a partner of Sen Const Beau Lamarre until a couple of months ago – found evidence a police firearm had been discharged. This included the discovery of one cartridge case, as well as a large amount of blood at the home.
The firearm used was later placed in a police gun safe, detectives alleged.
Lamarre, a former celebrity blogger, handed himself in at Bondi police station about 10.30am on Friday.
He appeared before Waverley local court on Friday afternoon, dressed in a black t-shirt and escorted by two police officers.
He was expressionless, blinking slowly as he looked around the courtroom.
He didn’t apply for bail, and the matter has been adjourned to 23 April to give police time to prepare a brief of evidence.
Lamarre’s lawyer did not answer questions outside court.
Det Supt Daniel Doherty of the New South Wales homicide squad said Lamarre was part of a specialist team within the police force.
A white van sought by police was located on Friday morning. Investigators believe it was hired from Mascot about 9.30pm on Monday.
Doherty said it would be alleged in court that the van was used “to transport the bodies and dispose of the bodies”.
Doherty said the 28-year-old officer “hasn’t assisted us to date” as investigators sought information. The bodies of the two men have not been located.
“From the evidence we’ve gleaned today we believe that the fate of both Luke and Jesse was at the house in Paddington and at some stage the white van was [allegedly] used to transport their bodies to another location,” Doherty said.
“That’s why we’re keen to find out where that location is. It’s important we get the movements in relation to that van as hopefully we can find the bodies and this is important for the family.”
Doherty said the families of Baird and Davies were “devastated by the news”.
Beverley McGarvey, head of Paramount in Australia and New Zealand, said: “Our hearts go out to Jesse Baird’s family and friends at this devastating time.
“Jesse’s genuine kindness, warmth and sincerity cannot be overstated as well as his innate ability to make people feel special and valued.”
Police earlier raided a home in the Sydney suburb of Balmain – understood to be Lamarre’s family home – after announcing they were searching for a third person potentially linked to the disappearance of Baird, 26 and now an AFL goal umpire, and Davies, 29, who vanished from Sydney’s east on Monday.
Their disappearance was treated as suspicious after bloody possessions belonging to both men were found in a skip bin in Cronulla on Wednesday. Police then examined Baird’s blood-stained sharehouse 30km away in Paddington.
Lamarre ran a now-defunct celebrity website called the Australian Reporter which was deregistered in 2016.
In videos posted online, he can be seen interviewing celebrities including Russell Crowe.
Social media photographs depict Lamarre with a range of showbiz personalities including Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.
In 2014, when he was a teenager, Lamarre was at a Lady Gaga concert in Sydney when he reportedly threw a note on the stage in which he came out as gay. He was later invited backstage by the singer, the Sydney Morning Herald reported in 2014.
Lamarre was also identified as the police officer who Tasered a man at close range during an arrest in 2020, an incident that was filmed and later went viral online.
The incident was investigated and Lamarre was cleared of wrongdoing.
On Thursday night, NSW police said a third person could be involved.
Police executed a search warrant and “seized a number of items” from the Balmain home at about 11.30pm on Thursday.
Shouting had been heard by neighbours of Baird’s home in Paddington on Monday but that was not reported to police until they arrived on Wednesday afternoon.
Baird’s WhatsApp account was active as late as Tuesday night, leading detectives to appeal for him to come forward if he were able to.
Police said on Thursday evening: “Detectives will continue to look at all past relationships and associations.”
Det Supt Jodi Radmore told reporters on Thursday she was open to the possibility that someone else was involved in the couple’s disappearance.
Police found blood when searching Baird’s Paddington home and discovered that furniture had been moved. Radmore said the amount of blood suggested someone had suffered a significant or major wound.
As well as presenting on the morning program Studio 10, Baird had taken to the field of AFL and VFL games as a goal umpire.
Photos from his and Davies’ social media accounts show them together at a Pink concert in Sydney the previous week.
One snap of the pair taken at the lighthouse at Palm Beach earlier this month reads: “Perfect start to a long weekend.”
• This story was amended on 23 February 2024 to change Beau Lamarre’s age on updated advice from NSW police
