A man will be extradited from Perth to New South Wales after being arrested over the death of a German backpacker in Lismore, New South Wales, more than 17 years ago.
The man, 42, made a brief appearance in the Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday after detectives from the Richmond Police District travelled to WA as part of an ongoing investigation.
The naked body of 25-year-old Simone Monika Strobel was discovered concealed under palm fronds on a bocce court five days after she was reported missing in February 2005.
The kindergarten teacher spent the fortnight before her death travelling the east coast of Australia with her boyfriend, his sister and their friend.
The German nationals arrived in Lismore on February 11, 2005 and checked into the Lismore Tourist Caravan Park. That night was the last time Ms Strobel was seen alive.
No-one has ever been charged over her death, with a coronial inquiry in 2007 finding the evidence available at that time did not warrant the matter being referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Detectives from Richmond Police District established Strike Force Howea in February 2005 to investigate Ms Strobel's murder.
They worked with the state Crime Command's Homicide Squad, and their German counterparts at the Wurzburg Criminal Police and the Prosecutor´s Office in Wurzburg, Bavaria.
In October 2020, the NSW government announced a $1 million reward for information, and the Bavarian Office of Criminal Investigation also announced a 10,000 Euro reward for residents of both Germany and Australia in 2014.
Strike force detectives travelled to Western Australia, where — with assistance from the WA Police Force — a 42-year-old man was arrested at a home on Tuesday.
