Victoria Police discover human remains thought to be the missing Rosebud man in remote Dollar outback Human remains thought to be those of a missing young man have been discovered in isolated woodland in Victoria’s South Gippsland region, on what police say would have been his 23rd birthday.
Jake Bradford, of the beachside community of Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula, was reported missing by his mother on January 29, 2023. Investigators suspect the then-21-year-old was involved in a fight in the Dollar area before his disappearance.
Bradford’s remains may have been discovered 18 months after his disappearance, with Victoria Police hoping the finding would bring closure to the family, whose grief is “as raw as ever”.
On Tuesday at around 10.30 a.m., the remains, which have yet to be properly identified, were discovered in the rural wilderness off Dollar-Woorarra West Road in Dollar. “Detectives from the Missing Persons Squad, Major Crime Scene Unit, and Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine specialists traveled to the site this morning,” according to a statement from Victoria Police.
“The coroner has been advised and a postmortem will occur in due course.” Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Burnett of the Serious Crime Division stated that the Missing Persons Squad’s investigative efforts were untiring, and investigators investigated every avenue of inquiry to deliver answers to Jake’s family. “Our heartfelt thoughts are with Jake’s family and friends today, on what would have been Jake’s 23rd birthday,” stated his father.
“We understand this has been a very terrible moment for them. We pray that this provides them with the necessary closure and allows Jake to be laid to rest. The previous eighteen months have been extremely tough for them, and their grief is still as acute as ever.
