Kiesha searchers stumble on corpse

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw-act/kiesha-searchers-stumble-on-corpse/story-e6freuzi-1225904646931

AN Aboriginal elder yesterday told how a dream about the location of missing girl Kiesha Abrahams led her to a western Sydney reserve, where she made the gruesome discovery of a woman's body.

In a bizarre twist in the hunt for the six-year-old girl, elder Cheryl Carroll-Lagerwey's instincts took her to Nurragingy Reserve at Doonside, where she thought the child's body may have been dumped. Instead she found the torso of a woman, believed to be Carlingford mother Kristi McDougall.

The body, wrapped in thick black plastic, taped up and dumped in long grass, was found about 6pm on Wednesday. Police said it had possibly been there since soon after Ms McDougall, 31, was reported missing on June 19.

Ms Carroll-Lagerwey was unable to explain what led to the find, except that it was "Aboriginal dreaming".

"I had a dream about a little girl being murdered and that her body was about here," she said.

Ms Carroll-Lagerwey and fellow community member

Paul Tearman have spent the past 12 days supporting Kiesha's mother Kristi Abrahams since her child was reported missing. When they are not comforting the little girl's family, the pair spend hours searching through Nurragingy Reserve.

"She's in here somewhere," Ms Carroll-Lagerwey said.

Mr Tearman struggled to find words to describe what he found in the long grass.

"I saw the plastic and I poked it a bit. I really did think it was Kiesha at first," he said.

Chief Inspector Pamela Young confirmed the torso had no head, arms or legs.

Dozens of police scoured the reserve and nearby river yesterday searching for the rest of the woman's body.

Ms McDougall's father Don said he was "shattered".

"I am just devastated," Mr McDougall said.

Ms McDougall was last seen at Homebush on June 19. Her family said she had no known connection to Doonside.