The stepfather accused of murdering missing schoolgirl Charlise Mutten allegedly drove around Sydney for hours with her body before dumping it in a river.
The nine-year-old's body was found on Tuesday night in scrub near the Colo River - an hour from where she disappeared on a private property in Mount Wilson, in the NSW Blue Mountains.
Police will allege Justin Stein, 31, spent up to five hours driving around the Harbour City with Charlise's body in a boat while he tried to figure out where to dump her, the Daily Telegraph reports.
It is understood detectives believe Charlise's mother Kallista Mutten had left her daughter in the care of Stein last Tuesday night.
Charlise Mutten, 9, was initially believed to have last been seen on Thursday but was reported missing on Friday morning
Initial reports said Charlise had last been seen on Thursday before family members reported her missing from the property on Friday morning.
Police have since announced the last time Charlise was confirmed to be alive was around 7pm last Tuesday, and they will allege she was killed at some point within the next 24 hours.
Police revealed in a press conference on Wednesday they'd used CCTV to track down Stein and will allege he discussed buying sandbags and boat fuel before later travelling to the riverbed where his stepdaughter's body was later found.
'(There were) a number of telephone conversations, to purchase a number of sandbags - 20 kilos sandbags from the hardware store - to fuel a boat and then try and float that boat on the water at one of the one of the docks in inner Sydney,' Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson said.
Footage of the man's arrest was released on Wednesday afternoon, showing as he walked from the car to the holding cell at Surry Hills Police Station with his hands cuffed in front of him.
He wore a grey Everlast jumper and shorts which he was still dressed in when he fronted court on Wednesday morning.
They're still waiting to speak to the girl's mother because she's under guard at a hospital and 'hard to approach'.
The woman and her fiancé reported the victim missing to police on Friday morning, claiming they last saw her on Thursday afternoon.
The accused appeared in Central Local Court on Wednesday from Surry Hills police station, where he is detained
But the police fact sheet tendered in court on Wednesday indicates police believe there are contradictions to that timeline.
Police have alleged she was killed sometime between 7pm on Tuesday, January 11 and 10am Wednesday January 12.
There has been a significant delay in speaking with the girl's mother because she remains in hospital under guard.
'The mother is currently under healthcare and is difficult to approach,' Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson said.
'She's under medical supervision, but when doctors allow, we will be talking to her.'
Mr Hudson said it was too early to speculate as to whether the accused had an accomplice.
'At this stage, we have no evidence to support whether the accused acted alone... However it is still early days,' he said.
There has been a significant delay in speaking with the girl's mother Kallista Mutten (pictured) because she remains in hospital under guard. 'The mother is currently under healthcare and is difficult to approach,' Deputy Police Commissioner David Hudson said
Footage of the man's arrest was released on Wednesday afternoon, showing as he walked from the car to the holding cell at Surry Hills Police Station with his hands cuffed in front of him
Police were investigating a number of 'anomolies' they identified in the accused's initial testimony, which included giving two separate versions of events in the lead up to the girl's disappearance.
Mr Hudson said through tracking the movements of a car they seized via CCTV, they were able to establish certain facts as to the movements of the man charged.
'Thursday afternoon, he purchased a number of sandbags from a hardware store,' he confirmed, adding that petrol was also used in an attempt to float a small boat which was later deemed inoperable.
'We
