A tragic discovery on the rear deck of a countryside residence revealed the body of a cherished artist and philanthropist.
Velvet Pesu, aged 46, was found dead at a property in Buccan, located in the southern part of Greater Brisbane, early Monday morning around 3:15 a.m.
A concerned family member reported Pesu missing at 1 a.m. on Monday, after she was last seen at The Gap, a suburb in northern Brisbane, around 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Pesu was a talented singer-songwriter, musician, and visual artist with a two-decade-long career. She had graced the stage at the renowned Woodford Folk Festival, one of Australia’s premier cultural events.
Kojaja Osman, a fellow musician, paid tribute to her friend, referring to her as an ‘angel’ well-known for her dedication to charity.
“She was always helping those in need. Her car was packed with supplies for the homeless,” Osman shared with The Courier Mail on Tuesday.
‘When she was around the city, distributing things to homeless people.’
Ms Pesu worked as the director of the Heart Health Foundation, which provides meals and music therapy to those in need.
The body of Velvet Pesu (pictured) was found on the back deck of a home in Buccan, southeast Queensland, on Monday
Police attended the home (pictured) after a relative filed a missing person’s report for Ms Pesu
Police visited the house on Waterford-Tamborine Road in Buccan on Monday after learning that the man for whom she had been a carer lived there.
Officers found Ms Pesu dead at the rear of the home, which triggered a search for the occupant.
Wa’el Abdallah Saleem Alfar, 36, was then arrested about 2pm on the same day on the Mid North Coast, about 465km south of Buccan, after a high-speed car chase.
NSW Police had attempted to stop his vehicle on the Pacific Highway in Coffs Harbour but he allegedly failed to pull over.
Officers continued to pursue Alfar until the car eventually crashed into a culvert on Stuarts Point Road in Yarrahapinni, about 80km from Coffs Harbour.
He was taken to Kempsey Police Station and charged with police pursuit, driving dangerously and driving a motor vehicle while licence was suspended.
Police have not suggested that Alfar was involved in Ms Pesu’s death, nor has he been charged in relation to it.
The charges against him from the alleged police pursuit were briefly mentioned in a NSW bail court on Tuesday morning.
Ms Pesu (pictured) was well known for her charity work and performances in Brisbane
Magistrate Lisa Viney told the court that the case could not proceed as Alfar was speaking with Queensland Police, the Courier Mail reports.
She refused Alfar’s bail, noting he had violent offences on his criminal record and had allegedly reached speeds of up to 200 km/h during the pursuit.
‘Police attempted to stop (him) by road spikes, he was fishtailing, swerved harshly directly at police causing them to have to jump behind a barrier to avoid injury,’ she said.
Legal Aid duty lawyer Tamika Carberry argued her client would not drive if released on bail.
She told the court Alfar could stay at his Blacktown car workshop, Joseph Auto, in Sydney’s western suburbs.
The court heard he had moved to Queensland in 2024 and had previously completed a conditional release order in 2021 and 2023.
The case was adjourned to Coffs Harbour Local Court on Wednesday.
Detective Acting Inspector Justin Anderson earlier revealed Ms Pesu had regularly visited Alfar in a professional capacity as his carer.
The occupant of the Buccan home (pictured) was arrested in NSW for an alleged police pursuit but no charges have been laid in relation to Ms Pesu’s death
‘As with any of these investigations, a standard part would be to interview any person that’s associated with the residence where this lady was found deceased,’ he said.
‘At this stage, it’s very early in the investigation. Police are keeping an open mind. We don’t know the cause of death at this stage. We have police, including forensic officers, still processing the scene.
‘We won’t know the cause of death until a post mortem examination, so we need to keep an open mind until we find out what the cause of death is.’
Detectives, forensic officers and SES crews spent much of Monday examining the Buccan home.
‘At this stage we’re processing the residence. It’s an acreage address, and that’s the only crime scene that I acknowledge,’ Det Insp Anderson said.
‘The investigation is in its infancy, we don’t know the exact cause of death or what occurred leading up to the death.
‘I want to assure the community that we have a large team of investigators, forensic police analysts, the SES all engaged and trying to work out exactly what happened.
‘We’ve arranged for SES to attend and conduct a search of the rural property.
‘It’s approximately five acres and it’s quite heavily grassed so we will conduct a thorough search of that property.’
Anyone with information has been urged to call Crime Stoppers.
