Zlatko Sikorksy has been charged with the murder of 16-year-old Larissa Beilby after a tense 28-hour siege.
Sikorsky, 34, was cornered by heavily-armed police at a unit block in Alexandra Headland on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast on Friday.
He gave himself up to police about 6.30pm on Saturday, and on Sunday morning he was charged with the murder of his young girlfriend.
Zlatko Sikorksy has been charged with the murder of 16-year-old Larissa Beilby after a tense 28-hour siege
Sikorsky (pictured) surrendered to police about 6.30pm on Saturday after a 28-hour siege
The family of 16-year-old Larissa Beilby (pictured) have poured out their grief in a heart breaking tribute to their missing daughter on Saturday
Larissa’s family wrote in a Facebook post, ‘With a broken heart shattered into more than a million pieces our family is utterly destroyed to inform you all that Larissa has been taken from us’
Queensland Police have confirmed the body in a barrel found on Wednesday evening in the back of a stolen utility truck was Ms Beilby, the Courier Mail reported.
Sikorsky could be seen covering his face with his tattooed hands as he was taken to a Maroochydore police station.
A 40-year-old woman and 38-year-old Joseph Geiger from Alexandra Headland have been charged with being an accessory to murder, the ABC reported.
Sikorsky, 34, gave himself up about 6.30pm on Saturday to heavily-armed officers who surrounded the Sunshine Coast apartment after a 28-hour siege.
Detectives looking for the teenager found an unidentified body in a barrel stashed in the back of a stolen utility truck on Wednesday.
Queensland Police Superintendent Darryl Johnson spoke with the media and confirmed the Sunshine Coast siege had ended peacefully.
THE DESPERATE SEARCH FOR MISSING SCHOOLGIRL LARISSA BEILBY: A TIMELINE
Zlatko Sikorsky was wanted over the disappearance of 16-year-old Larissa Beilby (pictured)
June 15: Larissa Beilby is last seen at a home in Sandgate in Brisbane’s north.
June 27 – 1.30pm: The desperate search for the 16-year-old leads police to a house in Buccan, south of Brisbane.
As detectives arrive, a man escapes through the back door and speeds away in a black truck.
Dashcam footage captured the black truck swerving through traffic on the M1 motorway before turning down the Stapylton exit
Approximately 2pm: The vehicle is tracked 15km east to a gated community in Stapylton, where police found it abandoned, the tray covered by tarpaulin.
A resident of the estate said the driver threatened her with a shotgun and offered her $2,000 to be let into her home.
Police discovered a barrel containing what is thought to be the body of a teenage girl – but it has not been identified.
6.30pm: Police issue a statement saying they believe the man driving the black ute switched cars and fled in a silver Holden Commodore sedan.
June 28: Detectives release a photo of Zlatko Sikorsky, 34, who they believed could assist with enquiries.
Larissa’s sister Deanna comments at 9am: ‘We have not been told anything.’
June 29: Police close in on Sikorsky’s reported location after a sighting.
June 30: Sikorksy surrenders to police at about 6.30pm after almost 28 hours.
June 30: Larissa’s family confirm the death of their daughter on Facebook.
July 1: Zlatko Sikorsky is charged with the murder of Larissa Beilby.
Sikorsky attempted to cover his face after the 28 hour Sunshine Coast siege came to an end
‘The police have done a fantastic job over the last 26 to 28 hours here at Alexandra Headlands,’ he said.
‘I’d just like to thank the people in the vicinity of Alexandra Headlands for their patience and understanding of what we’ve been through.’
‘It was important to give our negotiators the time and space to help us resolve this peacefully – and I am relieved that we have been able to take this man into custody without him, any member of the public or any of our officers being hurt,’ Superintendent Johnson said.
Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia a 40-year-old Palmwoods woman who allegedly brought Sikorsky to Maroochydore has been charged with being an accessory to murder.
She will reappear in the Maroochydore court again on July 2.
The father (pictured) of the man surrounded by armed police assisted detectives during the siege
Police negotiating with Sikorksy blocked nearby streets while declaring an emergency situation on Friday
The man who rents the apartment where Sikorsky was holed-up revealed how the man came to be inside his home, allegedly armed ‘with a few guns’.
The tenant, who asked to be known as Joe, told Daily Mail Australia a friend he hadn’t seen in 18 months rang him on Friday to ask if he could visit.
‘I said to my mate yeah, come round. It would be good to catch up,’ the tenant said on Saturday. ‘My mate brought this bloke!’
Sikorsky and the pair’s mutual friend arrived at 1pm.
The tenant did not know who Sikorsky was and had not been following the news, he said.
The tenant, who asked to be known only by his first name Joe, told Daily Mail Australia a friend – who he hadn’t seen in 18 months – rang him on Friday to ask if he could visit
Joe’s estranged partner later arrived and the pair had a loud argument about 2.30pm, leading to the manager at the Headland Gardens estate to knock on the door.
It was Sikorsky – who has a series of distinctive tattoos – who answered. The employee recognised the man and is believed to have called the police immediately afterward.
‘In the process of the argument, I didn’t know that the manager had come and knocked on the door, and old mate had answered the door to the manager,’ Joe said.
Pictured: The Sunshine Coast apartment where Zlatko Sikorsky is holed up during dramatic siege
The tenant did not know who Sikorsky was and had not been following the news he was being sought by police, he said. A bedroom in his apartment is pictured
Larissa Beilby (pictured) was the subject of a police search before a previously unidentified body was found in a barrel on the back of truck at a mobile home park. She has since been confirmed dead by the family
‘So the manager recognised who he was… I didn’t know a thing about him.
‘It was 10 past six last night when my brother rang me up and told me, ”what’s going on? What’s going on?”
‘I said, ”what’s going on, I don’t know, what do you mean?” I’ve seen the footage of who he was. That’s when I was … shocked’.
After the tenant’s partner left ’30 seconds after the manager’, Joe went to get groceries.
SERT officers are seen at the scene of a police operation at Alexandra Heads on the Sunshine Coas
The Special Emergency Response Team is crawling through yards at the unit block and using police drones
He said he was ‘sick’ of seeing suggestions in the newspaper that some sort of crime syndicate had been harbouring Sikorsky. ‘I had no idea what the hell was going on!’
During his stay, Sikorsky ‘said a few things’ that Joe did not disclose.
Joe later claimed to media at the scene: ‘He had a few bags but in the process, as I was leaving, he had a handgun and a [shotgun]. He had a few guns there.’
The tenant slept on the beach last night. Police told him there’s ‘nothing he can do’.
His unidentified friend left the apartment to ‘go and visit his kids’ and he has not been able to get hold of him since.
Sikorsky was being sought police to assist with their enquiries into the disappearance of Larissa Beibly (pictured)
The tenants unidentified friend left the apartment (pictured) to ‘go and visit his kids’ and he has not been able to get hold of him since
He said police have suggested he may have ‘dumped’ Sikorsky on Joe. Joe had only just moved into the apartment building in recent months and the building’s manager is ‘not a happy camper’.
Sikorsky’s father last night made a dramatic intervention in a tense standoff between his son and police.
The older Mr Sikorsky spent hours at the scene at the beach holiday town on Friday night assisting police.
Witnesses said Zlatko, 34, demanded to speak to his father and an unknown woman early on during negotiations with police and his dad arrived at the crime scene sometime after 7pm.
At 9.10pm, the man’s father was escorted deep into the police exclusion zone. He spent about 110 minutes inside and appeared happy and animated as he walked out and spoke to officers about 11pm.
Mr Sikorsky and an officer even shared a laugh as he drove off in a silver Toyota Hilux, but officers said he was hardly cheery about the situation.
John Sikorsky appeared relaxed and casual as he stood with his hands in his pockets while talking to police on Friday night
Police sources said officers will ‘take all the time we need’ to resolve the siege and that negotiators have ‘many plans’, but could not shed light on them for operational reasons
‘He’s been here and he’s been helping,’ Detective Superintendent Darryl Johnson told Daily Mail Australia last night. ‘I wouldn’t say [he’s] jovial’.
The siege, which involved more than 40 Queensland police officers and dedicated negotiators lasted almost 28 hours.
Mr Sikorsky’s father, believed to be named John, told Queensland media this week that people should ‘wait for police to do their job’.
Zlatko was in a relationship with 16-year-old Larissa Beilby, who disappeared from her transitional accommodation in Brisbane’s north on June 15.
Mr Sikorsky this week told The Courier Mail: ‘Hopefully all of this is nothing but rubbish.
Residents have left the area as police aim to resolve the siege peacefully
Heavily-armed police converged on a unit block on Juan Street in Alexandra Headland on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast
‘My son, he is a decent person’.
The teenager’s family confirmed the 16-year-old’s death in an emotional tribute two weeks after she went missing.
‘With a broken heart shattered into more than a million pieces our family is utterly destroyed to inform you all that Larissa has been taken from us,’ Larissa’s sister Deanna wrote in a Facebook post.
‘Our beautiful girl has been reunited with our beloved wife and mother. Fly high our darling angel, until we see you again Rissy.’
Friends sent their condolences to the heartbroken teenager’s family after she was confirmed dead.
One woman said: ‘I’m so sorry for your loss. I was praying for a different outcome. Absolutely heartbreaking.’
‘Very sad. Such a beautiful young lady. RIP. Hearts and tears are crying for you all over the world,’ said another.
Detectives looking for missing teen Larissa Beilby found a body stuffed inside a barrel in the back of a ute near Brisbane on Wednesday.
Jackie Burnham was hiding in her dark bedroom at the unit complex under police orders to stay inside and claimed she heard a man agreeing to put ‘the guns in the bag’ at about 10pm, ABC News reported.
‘He’s fired up now, you can hear,’ she said in a Facetime video call to a reporter.
‘I think he wants to speak to his dad. I think he’s frustrated.’
Detectives were seen standing inside the area cordoned off surround the apartment complex
Several police vehicles were parked to block the entrance to Juan Street near the unit block
Having not received correspondence from police, Ms Burnham, who was home alone, said she was fearful of what could unfold if there were firearms involved.
‘I have no idea what’s happening. I’m really nervous. If he’s armed, it could be a bad situation.’
A witness claimed they heard a man saying they would ‘shoot if they come near’ at the unit complex Friday afternoon.
The man could be heard shouting demands at negotiators and yelling ‘I just don’t want to get shot,’The Courier Mail reported.
A resident in the nearby Bannow apartment complex said she heard loud male voices yelling, possibly from a megaphone, and the words, ‘police police’ just before 1am.
She also described what sounded like drones being used, before everything turned ‘eerily quiet’.
Mr Sikorsky appeared in deep discussion with two detectives on the road outside the unit where his son was being ‘contained’ by police
Police officers surrounded the unit complex where residents were warned to stay inside
Another woman living in a neighbouring unit said she was home alone in the dark and terrified.
‘They sound pretty close,’ she said.
‘I don’t know what’s really going on … I’m not allowed to get out.’
More yelling was heard at the scene almost exactly an hour later, just before 2am, followed by police movement.
Police established an exclusion zone from the neighbouring streets, Alex Parade, Mary Street, Mayfield Street and William Street and declared an emergency situation.
Detectives believe there could have been a network of criminal associates helping to hide the man.
Neighbours are filming police officers surrounding the Headland Gardens apartment block and sharing videos to social media
Police have established an exclusion zone from the neighbouring streets, Alex Parade, Mary Street, Mayfield Street and William Street
Superintendent Johnson told reporters Sikorsky was ‘contained’ at about 5pm: ‘We’re negotiating and we’re hoping we’ll come out with a successful resolution,’ he said.
‘We’re hoping to resolve the situation peacefully. We’re happy that we’ve got the person. We’re quite comfortable we’ve got the situation contained.’
A witness in one of the neighbouring units said about 2.15pm they heard a man arguing with what sounded like a woman accompanied by children, Courier Mail reported.
Detectives can be seen blocking traffic in the area surrounding the Juan Street siege
Traffic was blocked by police vehicles and orange traffic cones were used to cordon off the area
They said a woman and child left the complex about 3pm, shortly before police arrived.
Another witness said he could hear a man making demands and requesting to speak to his father and girlfriend.
‘He hasn’t walked outside to the balcony, I can clearly hear him, he wants to speak to his girlfriend and father,’ the witness said.
‘I believe he’s on the phone to a negotiator.’
Heavily-armed police officers established an exclusion zone and warned residents in the apartment block (pictured) to stay inside
Teenager Larissa Beilby (pictured) has been missing from Brisbane’s north since June 15
Officers at an apartment block on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast after a reported sighting of Zlatko Sikorsky
Initial searches for Sikorsky centred on Logan and the Gold Coast.
Before she disappeared, Larissa, 16, had been in her final year of high school, but hadn’t been attending classes, according to friends.
She reportedly told those close to her she feared convicted criminal Sikorsky, the man suspected of dumping the ute, would discover her real age. She also told friends he had a gun.
Larissa, whose friends affectionately call ‘Riss’, met and began a relationship with Sikorsky while living in transitional accommodation where she was seeking refuge from another violent man.
On June 15, she walked out of the family home she shared with her father, sister and brother after a disagreement, Seven News reported.
Larissa’s life had been marked by tragedy, with her mother Karen dying when she was just four in 2006 in South Australia.
The badly decomposed body of a teenage girl was found in the back of this black utility truck
The three young children wrote a powerful tribute to their mother, who died at just 32.
‘To a mother with endless love who has made us who we are. We love and miss you and will never forget who you are,’ the tribute read.
‘We love you now and always, mum.’
Karen’s husband, Peter, said his ‘heart and soul are broken’ following his wife’s death.
The funeral notice asked attendees to donate to the Heart Foundation in lieu of flowers. The family later moved to Queensland.
Detectives believe the suspect switched vehicles after dumping the ute and is now driving a silver Holden Commodore with the registration 966WKB.
Pictured: The housing estate at Stapylton, south of Brisbane, where a body was found in a barrel on the back of an abandoned ute
Larissa, whose friends affectionately call ‘Riss’, is pictured with her older sister Deanna
Before the body was found, a Facebook post by Larissa’s sister Deanna, 20, showed a picture of the missing teenager.
‘She hasn’t been on social media for a week which is very weird for her, no-one has seen her since 15th of June,’ she captioned the photo.
When she stopped using social media three days later, alarm bells started to ring.
The manhunt for Sikorsky began when police attended a home in Buccan, south of Brisbane, at around 1.30pm on Wednesday. They were looking for Larissa.
A man fled the home in black ute, before detectives tracked it the Stapylton gated community, where it was dumped.
A woman who lives at the estate said an armed and heavily-tattooed ‘big white dude’ offered her $2,000 to let him inside her home – before she saw a ‘dead arm’ hanging from the back of his ute.
A dashcam captured the stolen utility truck at about lunchtime on Wednesday on Brisbane’s M1 motorway, with a tarp covering a barrel and the body of a teenage girl believed to be inside.
The man who owns the car which captured the footage said the vehicle was ‘flying’ down the motorway just before 1.50pm.
‘I was doing 110km/h and he flew past, I reckon at least 150km/h,’ the man, who did not want to be named, told Seven News.
‘It was bizarre, he was just flying, weaving through traffic and then took off down the Stapylton exit.’
The man said he did not realise at the time the vehicle had a badly decomposing body in the back.
‘That’s just insane thinking about it – scary really,’ he said.
Police tape is seen at the house in Buccan, south of Brisbane, on Thursday morning
A Police dog handler is seen at the mobile home park at Stapylton, south of Brisbane where the body of a teenage girl was found in a barrel on the back of a ute
This resident of the Stapylton estate said the driver threatened her with a shotgun and offered her $2,000 to be let into her home
The Holden 2009 V8 SS vanished from out the front of man Luke Loulanting’s home in Thornlands, in the city’s east, on June 5.
On Thursday night, a shocked Mr Loulanting and his partner Teisha claimed that the truck at the centre of this week’s gruesome discovery belonged to them.
‘Mr Loulanting later announced on Facebook: ‘The black ute involved was mine’.
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