Cops surround shed on rural property in search for Dezi Freeman – as theory emerges about how he is hiding

A top cop has snapped back at a reporter’s question about why it’s taking so long to hunt down alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush and Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly have just given an update on the week-long manhunt for alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman.

More than 100 properties have been searched in Porepunkah and nearby towns in the last week.

But despite hundreds of phone calls and information from the community and some of Freeman’s associates, they are no closer to finding him nine days on.

‘You’re here, you can see the environment,’ Commsioner Bush snapped.

Searching for one person in this terrain is extremely challenging. We have the best people on this task and I have full confidence in them.’

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush and Detective Superintendent Jason Kelly from Crime Command are scheduled to give an update on the manhunt for Dezi Freeman at 1.30pm Wednesday.

The press conference will be held at a police command post in Ovens, 25km from Porepunkah, the town at the centre of the week-long search.

• Dezi Freeman, 56, remains on the run, one week after he allegedly gunned down Detective Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart, 35, at his Porepunkah property in Victoria’s High Country.
• Ten officers attended the property to serve a warrant over historic sexual assault charges involving a minor when Freeman allegedly opened fire, killing two and wounding a third.
• Despite the huge operation, there have been no confirmed sightings, but police insist they believe Freeman is still alive in the region.
• More than 450 heavily armed officers, special operations units and air support are scouring the mountainous terrain in search of him. More police are expected to join the manhunt in the coming days.
• Officers swarmed on a rural property in nearby Buckland on Wednesday, a day after gun-toting cops and sniffer dogs converged on a small residential area just outside Porepunkah
• Family and former neighbours have revealed that Freeman has been on a disability pension for more than two decades, despite the sovereign citizen’s hatred of government and authority.

Alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman is likely to be hiding in a mineshaft or underground bunker, according to experts.

Freeman remains on the run in rugged bushland in Victoria’s high country, eight days after he allegedly shot dead two officers at his Porepunkah property.

Experts have warned the terrain, weather conditions and Freeman’s survival skills could all potentially delay his capture.

Amateur goldfields historian Darby Lee believes the fugitive has bunkered down to avoid being captured by police helicopters and drones equipped with infrared imaging technology.

‘I’ve got a feeling he’s underground … a mineshaft or a bunker. If they’re not getting pictures or heat signals, he’s underground,’ he told The Guardian.

Survivalist and author Ky Furneaux agreed.

‘At this time of year his biggest liability will be exposure to cold so he’ll need shelter first. If you’re lost in the Alps, you don’t worry about water, you’ll be OK,’ she said.

‘If they’re old-style peppers, they have it full of water, water filters, food supplies, stashes to get them through probably about three months … a cave maintains a temperature that’s livable all year round, and it’s heatable if it gets cold.’

Police are focusing on the Buckland River area, just outside Porepunkah, as their desperate search for Dezi Freeman enters its ninth day.

Several tactical police and sniffer dogs attended an address on Buckland River Road, at about 9.30am on Wednesday.

Officers were seen chatting to a family, including a woman with a baby.

It is understood police advised the family they would be converging on their property.

It is not suggested the family is involved with Freeman.

At one point, an officer was seen crouched by a tree with his weapon drawn.

Police also inspected a shed on the property.

It is understood police are currently going door-to-door in the area.

The police helicopter also returned to the skies to scour the scene ftrom above.

This morning’s events come after police focused on a different area of the Buckland River yesterday.