A mother and son who allegedly attempted to hide the body of a woman killed in a suspected hit-and-run will likely plead guilty to multiple charges, the Darwin Local Court has heard.
The pair was arrested on Wednesday afternoon, after a human leg was found on the Stuart Highway outside Darwin, launching a major police investigation.
Joshua Mason, 23, has been charged with offences including hit and run, destroy evidence and misconduct with regards to a corpse.
His mother, 50-year-old Deborah Mason, is facing similar charges after she allegedly helped her son hide the body and attempt to destroy evidence.
Judge Therese Austin today said the evidence against the pair was "overwhelming" and indicated a "callous disregard" for the 43-year-old female victim.
'Complete disregard' for victim, court hears
Judge Austin said the facts indicated Ms Mason had driven with her son back to the scene of the incident after he had initially failed to find what he had struck.
"It was then that they discovered that indeed there was somebody who had been struck, it was a person and she was deceased," Judge Austin said.
The prosecutor said the decision of the pair to remain silent despite widespread media coverage showed a "complete disregard" for the victim, and that there was a wealth of evidence against the duo.
"There was blood found in the tray of the vehicle driven by the defendant," prosecutor Jessica McLean said.
"There are witness statements detailing the defendant and co-accused hosing out the back of the ute and bloody towels were seized from the defendants laundry for forensic testing."
The pair's lawyer, Peter Maley, said his clients were likely to plead guilty.
He argued Ms Mason should be granted bail as the mother-of-three had no criminal history and was unlikely to flee.
Judge Austin ordered a supervision report for Ms Mason while she considered whether to grant bail.
Mr and Ms Mason will return to Darwin Local Court on June 14.
Leg discovered on Tuesday
The leg was found on the Stuart Highway on Tuesday, sparking a major search which led to authorities locating a body the following day.
Police believe the incident happened on Monday night.
On Thursday, Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Morrissey said after a "suspect vehicle" was identified, police attended another location where they found the body, which had been "partially concealed" and was in a condition "consistent with being struck with a vehicle".
Senior Sergeant Morrissey said police will allege the man was the driver of the vehicle, and the woman had helped him move the body to another location.
"Investigations are ongoing, but at this stage we believe the body of the victim was removed from the scene by the driver and his accomplice after the collision," he said.
He said information and dash-cam footage provided by members of the public had played a "vital role" in police arresting the pair.
