A nine-year-old NSW schoolgirl girl was shot dead. Her body was found inside a plastic barrel dumped near the NSW River. Her mother's partner, Justin Stein, 31, has been charged with murder. Authorities released CCTV footage showing a red ute towing a boat through Sydney with a plastic barrel on the back.
The girl's remains were found on the banks of the Colo River last Tuesday after she was reported missing from the Blue Mountains. Authorities confirmed that the girl suffered a fatal gunshot as authorities continued investigating the girl's death.
"Unimaginable and egregious"
Charlise Mutten was reported missing on January 14. Authorities then launched an intensive five-day search on forested areas until her body was discovered a week ago in a barrel near the Colo River Northwest of Sydney.
Authorities charged Justin Laurens Stein with murder, and he was arrested at a Surry Hull Unit. Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said investigations suggested that the girl was murdered in Mount Wilson, where she was last seen.
Charlise's mother, Kallista, provided a statement that she was not at the property where the alleged murder happened. She is now being treated as a potential witness.
"The evidence that we have so far gleaned is that Justin was alone with Charlise on a Tuesday night (January 11)," Doherty said. Authorities believed that the murder happened on Tuesday night or in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Investigators are still searching for the firearm used.
Shocking CCTV Footage
Police also released CCTV footage of a ute towing boat through Sydney to appeal for more information about the murder. The CCTV footage was taken a day before Charlise was reported missing.
"The boat has been covered up, but when you see the CCTV footage, there's a tarp on the back of the ute," Detective Superintendent Doherty said.
Authorities believed that the item was not on the ute after leaving the Colo River as it stopped on a service station at Bell Line of Road. "That's important for investigative reasons. There are some gaps in the timeline," Doherty added.
Authorities urged anyone who saw the vehicle or any suspicious activity related to Charlise's death to come forward.
School Pays Tribute to Charlise Mutten
On Tuesday, Deputy Mayor Reece Byrnes arrived at Tweed Heads Public School to join around 150 parents, teachers, and students in a special assembly held to pay tribute to her.
Her friends returned to school after knowing her tragic end. On Wednesday, the school stated that it was "absolutely devastated by the girl's death." Bouquets and messages were left outside the school's gates, where Charlise had been a student.
"It's a sad day, and this school returns with one less friend, one less special little human. It's a tragic day for her friends, the school community, and her teachers who had watched her grow up,' Byrnes said.
