Heartbreak in the Australian High Country! The agonizing hunt for fugitive Dezi Freeman — the 56-year-old accused of gunning down two police officers in a shocking ambush — has taken a gut-wrenching twist. Authorities now “strongly believe” the so-called sovereign citizen is dead, his body lost somewhere in the rugged, unforgiving bushland of Mount Buffalo National Park near Porepunkah, Victoria. And this morning’s chilling discovery has left investigators and the public reeling: a backpack — positively identified as Freeman’s — was located deep in the woods beneath a solitary tree. Tragically, resting right next to it was… evidence that has detectives convinced the end came violently and alone.
The nightmare began on August 26, 2025, when police arrived at Freeman’s remote property on Rayner Track to serve a warrant. What should have been a routine call exploded into horror. Freeman allegedly opened fire, killing Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, while seriously wounding a third officer. In the chaos, the suspect fled into the dense eucalyptus forest behind his home, vanishing without a trace. Carrying firearms and what witnesses described as a large backpack, he disappeared into the thick terrain — and for nearly six months, Australia’s largest manhunt has scoured every inch without success.
But police never gave up. Over 400 officers, specialist search teams, cadaver dogs, drones, and volunteers have combed the area in wave after wave of operations. In early February 2026, a fresh five-day push targeted a specific zone based on intelligence — including reports of a single gunshot heard roughly two hours after the killings. That lone shot has become the haunting centerpiece of the investigation. Detectives suspect it was Freeman taking his own life, ending the chase in a final, desperate act amid the isolation of the bush.
Detective Inspector Adam Tilley laid it bare: “We are comfortable that we don’t believe he is here alive… We do believe strongly that he is in this area deceased.” Three grim scenarios have dominated from the start: Freeman died by self-harm or misadventure in the wilderness; he’s being secretly harbored by sympathizers; or he’s somehow survived alone without help. But with no sightings, no credible tips despite a $1 million reward, and zero proof of life since that fateful day, authorities are increasingly certain the first option is reality. The backpack discovery this morning — found under a tree in deep woods during the latest targeted sweep — has pushed that certainty to the breaking point.
The weathered pack, matching descriptions from the initial escape footage and witness accounts, contained items linking it unmistakably to Freeman. Lying beside it were signs of tragedy: scattered personal effects, possible remnants of struggle, and indications of prolonged exposure to the elements. While full details remain under wraps pending forensic confirmation, sources close to the search describe the scene as “eerie and conclusive” — a makeshift final resting spot where the fugitive may have collapsed, succumbed to injury, exposure, or that single, echoing gunshot. Cadaver dogs have been redeployed to the exact location, and ground teams are now racing against time and terrain to locate human remains before weather erases any more clues.
The High Country’s brutal landscape has played a cruel role. Dense scrub, steep ravines, hidden caves, old mine shafts, and unpredictable weather have made the search one of the toughest in Victoria’s history. Freeman, familiar with the area as a local “sovereign citizen” who rejected government authority, knew these woods intimately — perhaps too well. Police have cleared hundreds of acres, searched riverbeds, and probed every possible hideout, yet the man slipped through like a ghost. Until now.
This latest breakthrough has reignited raw emotions among the victims’ families and the tight-knit policing community. Thompson and de Waart-Hottart were dedicated officers doing their duty; their deaths left widows, children, and colleagues shattered. The ongoing uncertainty — no body, no closure — has only deepened the pain. “We won’t rest until we locate Desmond Freeman and get that answer,” senior officers have vowed repeatedly. A $1 million reward still stands for information leading to his location or arrest, but with death now the prevailing theory, the focus has shifted to recovery and justice for the fallen.
Social media is ablaze with reactions: some call it poetic justice for a man who allegedly took lives without remorse, others mourn the lack of a trial that could have brought answers. Conspiracy theories swirl — was he helped by family or fellow sovereign citizens? Did he fake his death and slip away? — but police remain adamant: no credible evidence supports escape. The backpack under that lonely tree tells a different story — one of isolation, desperation, and an end in the silence of the forest.
As search teams push deeper into the wilderness today, the nation watches with bated breath. Will they finally bring Dezi Freeman home — or at least confirm the grim truth? The High Country holds its secrets tight, but this devastating update suggests the long hunt may soon be over. A killer on the run, a backpack beside a tree, and a single shot that may have echoed the final chapter. The forest has claimed its own — but the quest for closure rages on.