The niece of missing Northern Beaches mother Lynette Dawson has told The Today Show the family are shocked by how quickly NSW Police have begun their search for the remains of her aunt.
“We knew that the dig was happening at some point but we didn’t know that it was going to be yesterday,” she said. “Yesterday was incredibly intense.”
Renee Simms said yesterday’s dig at the Bayview property, the home which Lynette shared with husband Chris Dawson, is a much-needed move to solving the 36-year-old mystery, but the family aren’t getting their hopes up.
“I think we’re not game to get too hopeful because we’ve been in a similar position before and nothing’s come of it. But you know, it is there under the surface.”
Lynette Dawson’s disappearance and suspected murder have been the subject of popular investigative podcast The Teacher’s Pet.
The podcast, spearheaded by journalist Hedley Thomas, has captured people’s attention worldwide and has shone a light on the mountain of evidence against Lynette’s husband Chris in the suspected murder case.
Mr Dawson has maintained his wife walked out on him and their two infant daughters in 1982, despite two coronial inquests having found Lynette was killed by a known person.
Information revealed on The Teacher’s Pet have lead people, including NSW Police, to believe Lynette Dawson’s remains are buried somewhere on Gilwinga Drive.
Homicide squad commander Scott Cook has said the team will be digging in four places on the property.
“We are digging in four areas; a small area at the back of the house between the rock and the building, another area in the near the clothes line, another area a little further up in the backyard and around the pool area,” he said.
The police are continuing their dig for the remains of Lynette Dawson today.
