Massive land, water search launched after charging ‘father who sacrificed his nine-month-old baby’

A major new search by police specialists is underway as investigations into the alleged ‘sacrificial murder’ of a nine-month-old baby continues.

Dozens of divers and detectives descended on the far-north New South Wales suburb of Tweed Heads on Monday morning.

They believe the child was thrown into the local river on November 17 and washed up on a Gold Coast beach 30km north less than two days later.

The baby’s father was charged with murder on Thursday just hours after being extradited from Queensland.

A new investigation has been launched into the alleged drowning of a nine-month-old girl by her father (pictured together)

Police divers search Jack Evans Boat Harbour, where it's believed the baby entered the water

Police divers search Jack Evans Boat Harbour, where it’s believed the baby entered the water

Water police and divers will search the Tweed River and foreshore while specialists from the Public Order and Riot Squad will scour a local park and harbour.

Locals told the Courier Mail they saw dive squads re-enacting the alleged murder over the weekend.

‘They looked like they were throwing clothing into the river,’ a local resident said.

‘There were police divers and a cameraman so it was clearly some sort of re-enactment or simulation-type exercise.’

Police would not comment on the specifics of the investigations, but are believed to be diving under the same tidal and current conditions as the alleged drowning to determine how her body came to be 30km from where they believe it was dumped.

The homeless family had been living in parks along the Gold Coast, which police will scour

The homeless family had been living in parks along the Gold Coast, which police will scour

It is believed police are diving under the same conditions as the alleged drowning to determine how the body washed up 30km north of where it entered the water

It is believed police are diving under the same conditions as the alleged drowning to determine how the body washed up 30km north of where it entered the water

The baby was tossed into the river near Jack Evans Boat Harbour – an area of interest for detectives on Monday – by her father, court documents allege.

Authorities claim the Aboriginal father told the child’s young mother he was going to give her to an elder before killing her.

A homeless family, the nine-month-old and her two-year-old brother had been living with the accused father, 48, and mother, 23, in parks along the Gold Coast.

Investigations into claims by police that the Department of Child Services repeatedly ignored urgent calls for help are also underway. 

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