GRIM DETAILS EMERGE..! – The b0dy of Sandra Popovic has been found in bushland in the Blue Mountains, two weeks after the mother disappeared. Police allege she was k!lled by her estranged son, who is now facing serious charges.
hland in the Blue Mountains following a multi-agency search, two weeks after she went missing allegedly murdered by her estranged son.
Police allege Sandra Popovic, 58, was allegedly kidnapped from the Hills area on June 8 after arranging to meet with her son Ante Ivan Popovic, before being taken west to the Blue Mountains.
According to investigators, the homicide followed a series of allegedly “hostile” text messages sent to Ms Popovic regarding a financial loan.
On June 8, Ms Popovic told family members she was heading to John Curtin Reserve in Winston Hills to meet her estranged 33-year-old son, Ante Ivan Popovic.
Forensic evidence suggests that an altercation took place at the reserve.
A grueling 13-day search across regional New South Wales has concluded after emergency services discovered the body of 58-year-old Sandra Popovic in the Blue Mountains National Park. Picture Thomas Lisson
Police allege Mr Popovic kidnapped his mother before bundling her into the back of a white Toyota HiLux utility vehicle.
He then allegedly abandoned his mother’s car on nearby Dodson St, where her family discovered it the next morning.
Mobile phone data indicates Mr Popovic drove through the Blue Mountains with his mother inside, where her body was ultimately hidden in dense bushland near Mt Banks Rd.
Following the abduction, he allegedly left the Sydney area, taking his mother’s mobile phone with him.
On June 11, tactical officers tracked Mr Popovic to an isolated fire trail in Tomerong, south of Nowra where he was arrested.
Forensic teams processing the vehicle later identified traces of blood inside the cabin.
The grim discovery ends a vast forensic search spanning hundreds of kilometres across regional NSW.
The body of the alleged victim, described by relatives as a devoted mother of three and the primary carer for her elderly parents, was formally discovered by search crews at 2.30pm on June 21.
Mr Popovic has been charged with murder and kidnapping. He appeared in the bail division before Judge Marguerite Vassall, where bail was legally refused.
The man remains in custody and is scheduled to face Parramatta Local Court on August 13.
