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Home / World

Body of bride-to-be Stephanie Scott found: police

Daily Mail
10 Apr, 2015 11:25 PM5 mins to read

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Stephanie Scott. Photo / Supplied

Stephanie Scott. Photo / Supplied

The body of a bride-to-be has been discovered in a national park in Australia - the day before she was due to get married.

Family and friends of Stephanie Scott had flown from around the world to attend her wedding, but are now bracing themselves for her funeral.

The 26-year-old was due to marry her partner of five years Aaron Leeson Woolley on Saturday.

But the English and drama teacher, from Leeton, was reported missing on Easter Sunday, sparking a huge search.

Police have now discovered the remains of a female body in Cocoparra National Park at 5pm local time on Friday.

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They charged school cleaner Vincent Stanford, 24, with her murder on Thursday morning.

Stephanie's devastated fiancé has visited a makeshift memorial in memory of her, and her sister has invited her friends, family and community to attend a picnic lunch on Saturday marking her life.

'Tomorrow [Saturday] should have been the happiest day of Stephanie and Aaron's lives,' Kim posted.

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'To help us all through this difficult time, we invite everyone to join us at Mountford Park, Leeton, tomorrow for a lunchtime affair to celebrate the life of our 'Button-Nose'.

'Pack a picnic, wear yellow and bring your favourite memory of our unforgettable Stephanie. xxx'

Chilling new details have emerged today of the search.

The body was found at the national park located just north of Griffith, which was a regular camping spot for the Stanford family, Fairfax Media reports.

Discover more

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The mother of the accused killer had reportedly provided information which led police to the scene where she believed her son allegedly dumped the body of Ms Scott.

It follows as two men said they saw a man matching her accused killer Stanford's description throw what looked like a bag holding a laptop into an irrigation channel on Sunday afternoon, the day police allege the 26-year-old bride-to-be was murdered.

'I saw a white Ute parked across the road. He walked up the bank with what looked like a laptop or iPad in his hand, with a red cover on it,' Mr Halls told Daily Mail Australia.

'I thought he was going to take a photo of the irrigation channel or something. Next thing I know he's running back down the bank after throwing it in.

'It just seemed odd at the time and that's why I remembered it. He never knew we were watching him.'

'It looked to me like it was an iPad or a laptop. It only came to me the following day because of what they said on the radio,' Mr Lyons told Daily Mail Australia.

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'It said what car the bloke had and what they were looking for. It was only then it dawned on me.

'I saw the car and the bloke running back (after throwing away the bag). It happened around 3 or 4pm.'

Mr Lyons said that the man was wearing a baseball hat and sun glasses. He also said that the man was driving the same white Toyota Hilux that police are seeking information about.

'I phoned the police on Wednesday when I realised what was going on. It looked suss what he did,' Mr Lyons said.

'It was only in hindsight that you think afterwards it could have something to do with what happened. It's all very sad.'

The laptop was discovered about 5km away from the field where Ms Scott's red Mazda sedan was found dumped on Thursday.

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Police have also released an image of a seized Toyota ute and have appealed for information from anyone who may have seen the vehicle between Sunday, when it is alleged Ms Scott was murdered, and Wednesday, when her accused killer Vincent Stanford was arrested.

A NSW Police spokewoman told Daily Mail Australia the vehicle is undergoing forensic examination.

This comes after it emerged that a set of school keys given to Ms Scott by a colleague the last time she was seen alive were allegedly found at Stanford's home.

Police have charged school cleaner Stanford, 24, with the 26-year-old teacher's murder and will allege Stanford killed Ms Scott at some point between 11am and 7.20pm on Sunday, before dumping her car and body.

Ms Scott was last seen by a colleague at Leeton High School at 11am on Sunday morning, when she picked up a set of keys to get into a classroom so she could plan work for her students to do while she was on her honeymoon in Tahiti.

Authorities allegedly began to focus their investigation on Stanford after discovering he had given misleading information about being at the school on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph reported. Police allegedly found keys matching the description of those given to Ms Scott at his house.

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Police also allegedly found blood in Stanford's car, and a photo of what appears to be a burnt body on a mobile phone.

- Daily Mail

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