Police are continuing their search for missing American woman Priscilla Brooten after her former partner was taken into custody after he was allegedly spotted digging near his front yard.
Mark Wayden, 42, was arrested on Saturday after detectives received a tip-off from neighbours, according to 9 News.
Police said the man, who lived with Ms Brooten at the time she went missing, is in custody to help with inquiries and no charges have been laid at this time.
Ms Brooten, 46, was last seen in the north Brisbane suburb of Bracken Ridge in July last year, but wasn’t formally reported missing until December.
Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Hogan of Moreton District confirmed the case is now being treated as a homicide investigation.
Mark Waden, 42, was arrested on Saturday after police received a tipped from neighbours alleging he had been digging at the excavation site where police have seen searching for Ms Brooten’s body
Police investigators are seen digging up a Bracken Ridge home in connection with the disappearance of US citizen Priscilla Brooten
Police now believe the 46-year-old US national has been murdered and are digging up the front yard of a home in the Brisbane suburb, Bracken Ridge (pictured)
On Saturday night Ms Brooten’s daughter Caity Brooten, 23, demanded justice as the investigation continued.
‘I just hope whoever did this to her gets caught and gets the punishment they deserve,’ she told The Sunday Mail.
‘She was a very smart and nerdy person and loved to watch anime and loved to take samba class,’ she said.
Caity, from California, said her mother was a very beautiful person who had won beauty pageants and decided to move to Australia six years ago ‘because she did not want to get tied down’ in the US.
Ms Brooten and her partner were believed to have been in a de facto relationship for a year before she disappeared, police told the ABC.
Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Hogan has also revealed that the missing American woman was heavily involved in online gaming.
The initial search was concentrated on a narrow strip of the yard alongside the driveway.
Ms Brooten and her partner were believed to have been in a de facto relationship for a year before she disappeared
He issued an appeal to other gamers to contact police with any information they may have, believing that Ms Brooten may have revealed fears for her safety to the online gaming community.
‘Police suspect a lot of people she associated with online and also in some private clubs may not know that police are investigating her disappearance,’ he said.
‘Often these people may not have known that she was reported missing.’
‘Any contact she had with them may help the investigation.’
Police believe Ms Brooten was murdered, and on Saturday they dug up the front yard of a home in Bracken Ridge looking for her remains.
The initial search was concentrated on a narrow strip of the yard alongside the driveway.
‘We share the fear of Ms Brooten’s family and friends and have reason to believe she may have met with foul play,’ Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Hogan said.
Police are appealing for anyone who may has seen Ms Brooten’s blue Volkswagen Golf (pictured) to come forward. The car was found abandoned north of Brisbane on July 6, 2018
Police are appealing for anyone who may has seen Ms Brooten’s blue Volkswagen Golf to come forward.
Ms Brooten was driving the car for about a year before her disappearance and was found abandoned in Bunton St, Scarborough about 9pm on July 6, 2018.
‘Regardless of how trivial you think the information might be, it may be crucial to our investigation,’ he said.
Ms Brooten, who studied literature, occasionally instructed Zumba classes at the HealthWorks gym in Deagon, and also attended a book club at Bracken Ridge.
Laetitia Penfold was a friend of Ms Brooten who described her as a cheerful person that united people around her.
‘She was the sister I never had,’ Ms Penfold said.
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