UPDATE: 20/09/2019
Both people have now been charged.
The 33-year-old man has been charged with murder.
He’s been refused bail and will front Belmont Local Court today.
The 32-year-old woman has been charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder, as well as dishonestly obtain financial advantage by deception.
She’s accused of impersonating Ms Easey on social media following her death to gain access to money.
The woman has also been refused bail and will front Toronto Local Court today.
EARLIER:
Police have a breakthrough in their investigations into the murder of Danielle Easey, by arresting two people in Lake Macquarie.
About 10.30am on Saturday 31 August 2019, police were called to Cockle Creek, near Wakefield Road, Killingworth, after members of the public saw an item wrapped in plastic floating in the water. The plastic, containing a woman’s body, was removed from the water by officers.
The woman was identified as 29-year-old, Danielle Easey, who lived in Booragul with family, but had more recently been staying at multiple locations around the area. A post mortem examination revealed Danielle had been seriously assaulted and stabbed.
A Strike Force was established to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death. Following extensive investigations, strike force detectives arrested a 33-year-old man at an industrial premise at Cardiff just before 10am on Thursday. He has been taken to Belmont Police Station. About an hour later, a 32-year-old woman was arrested at a home at Holmesville and taken to Toronto Police Station.
Detectives subsequently executed two crime scene warrants at the Cardiff industrial premise and a home at Narara, and a search warrant at the Holmesville home.
At this stage, investigators have seized a Mitsubishi Delica at Cardiff.
Investigations are continuing.