Friday 23 September 2022 08:32 AM Joanne Lees Peter Falconio: New lead in hunt for backpacker's body in ... trends now
A new lead has raised hopes of a breakthrough in the hunt for the body of murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio just hours after his mother begged for help.
Mr Falconio, 28, was shot dead by drug-runner Bradley Murdoch in 2001 who then tried to abduct his girlfriend Joanne Lees before she escaped and raised the alarm.
But the backpacker's body has never been found - and his mother pleaded on Friday for 'anyone with a conscience' to help locate his remains.
Now a possible new witness has come forward to reveal he spotted a ute like the killer's parked 'in an odd place' by a culvert and a bridge 24 hours after the murder.
A new lead has raised hopes of a breakthrough in the hunt for the body of murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio (seen here with girfriend Joanne Lees) just hours after his mother begged for help.
Peter Falconio was shot dead on a remote stretch of the Sturt Highway, 300km north of Alice Springs, and girlfriend Joanne Lees hid in the bush until killer Bradley Murdoch fled the scene
The new sighting has raised hopes it could lead to the discovery of the backpacker's remains and end the 21-year-old mystery.
The startling new evidence was revealed after South Australian politician Frank Pangallo demanded a $1million reward for information leading police to the body.
'I received an email this morning from somebody who was in the area the day after the murder,' the SA-BEST member of South Australia's legislative council revealed.
'He said he had spotted a vehicle that was similar to the one that Murdoch was using and it was parked on the side of a road near a culvert and a bridge.
A possible new witness has come forward to reveal he spotted a ute like the killer's parked 'in an odd place' by a culvert and a bridge 24 hours after the killing (pictured, police roadblocks in the wake of the 2001 murder)
'He remembered going past it and saying it was unusual that the the driver was parked in that position. He did alert police at the time but heard nothing more.
'I'll certainly pass that on to police to see if they'll go there in person to check it out.'
The stunning development came just hours after Daily Mail Australia revealed police had mounted a five-day search of an outback well in 2019 in the hunt for the remains.
They pumped 15m of water out of the remote waterhole, just 1km from the murder scene near Barrow Creek, 300km north of Alice Springs, but sadly found nothing.
Now Mr Falconio's parents Joan, 75, and Luciano, 80, have appealed for fresh information to keep the hunt alive for their son's remains.
Parents Joan, 75, and Luciano Falconio, 80, have appealed for fresh information to keep the hunt alive for their son's remains
'We want to bring Peter home where he belongs near his family,' his mother said. 'Our pain is always with us. He was murdered 21 years ago, aged just 28 years.
'His life stopped on a lonely road - the Stuart Highway on July 14, 2001. Shot dead by cowardly Murdoch, who will not reveal where or what he did with him.'
She added: 'Peter
