Authorities are piecing together how Dezi Freeman, the fugitive responsible for the deaths of two police officers, managed to elude capture for seven months amid challenging weather conditions. It remains uncertain whether he survived through his own resourcefulness—by making shelters and foraging for food—or if he received assistance from others.
Freeman, aged 56, was ultimately shot and killed by police on a rural property near Walwa, in Victoria’s north-east, shortly after 8:30 am on Monday. This event concluded an extensive manhunt for the self-proclaimed sovereign citizen.
His flight into the dense bush followed a grim incident on August 26, when he fatally shot two police officers and wounded another during a raid on his isolated Porepunkah property, which was linked to historic sex crime investigations.
The slain officers, Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, were killed at the scene of the raid. The third officer sustained serious injuries during the attack.
Freeman was last observed carrying the firearms of the deceased officers near his Rayner Track property. This sighting prompted the largest search operation in Victoria Police’s history.
In their pursuit, police deployed cadaver dogs and drones, meticulously combing through over 100 homes and properties scattered across the rocky terrain, which was peppered with caves and mineshafts. Their efforts were hampered by severe weather, including blizzards, hailstorms, fierce winds, and bushfires.
Freeman, an expert survivalist, was finally found in a shipping container at a camp at Tholo Farm, which says on Google Maps: ‘Cookers welcome.’
Professional bush tracker Jake Cassar told Daily Mail on Monday that Freeman could have survived the conditions by eating dandelions, yams, and rabbits, and may have been able to keep warm if he knew how to use natural resources.
Fugitive Dezi Freeman (pictured) has been shot dead after seven months on the run
Pictured: the Porepunkah property where Dezi Freeman shot and killed two Victoria Police officers
‘If you have the right skills and supplies, you can live indefinitely in the wild,’ he said.
‘Essentially, if he had the skills to make fire from natural resources or from supplies he had stashed, that would have provided enough warmth to keep hypothermia away.’
He said caves could have been used to evade drones and surveillance aircraft, and to keep him safe from exposure.
When bushfires hit the Walwa region, he said, Freeman may also have been skilled enough to determine the direction of the bushfires and move the other way.
Mr Cassar said the east coast of Australia is brimming with wild rabbits to trap or shoot, but Freeman may have also been shooting the occasional cow and curing the meat.
‘Gunshots would normally give his location away, but you hear guns go off all the time in rural areas so he might have been doing that and no one noticed.’
He explained that Freeman might have been curing meats, using caves to conceal the smoke.
Freeman might also have been using fresh water from tree roots, filtering river water, or digging for water.
Professional bush tracker Jake Cassar (pictured)says Freeman may have survived on yams and rabbits, and with the help of others
Freeman shot dead Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson (pictured) on August 26
Freeman also shot dead Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart (pictured), 34, on August 26
‘It seems far-fetched, but people can make traps and they can survive with enough macro nutrients based around carbohydrates, protein, and multi-vitamins that can be found in the bush,’ he said.
‘But there’s a big difference between having some knowledge and getting help, and having significant knowledge and being able to sustain life indefinitely.’
He said Freeman’s physical condition when he was caught would indicate how much help he was getting.
Speaking about the death on Monday, Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said during a press conference that Freeman chose not to surrender himself peacefully, despite being given the option.
‘We strongly believe, yet to be confirmed, that he was armed,’ he said.
Police Association of Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said: ‘Today, we won’t reflect on the loss of a coward.’
‘We will remember the courage and bravery of our fallen members and every officer who has doggedly pursued this outcome for the community.
‘They have worked tirelessly. During the emergency, in the operation that followed and the months thereafter, members across the state have devoted themselves to this singular pursuit.’
Chief Commissioner Mike Bush is pictured at a press conference about Dezi Freeman on Monday
The manhunt for Freeman was the largest ever undertaken by Victoria Police (pictured)
He said Freeman’s death marked a ‘step forward’ for police, the community, and for the families of the dead officers.
‘It doesn’t lessen the trauma, give back the futures that were callously stolen, or lessen the collective fear and grief that this tragic event has instilled in police and the wider public,’ he said.
‘Days like today offer a sobering reminder that policing happens while you sleep, when the media spotlight on an investigation dims and when everything seems lost and forgotten.
‘RIP Vadim and Neal. Today, we remember you.’
Police are now working to determine how he evaded capture for so long, and whether others helped him.
‘We are very keen to learn who, if any, but I’m sure some, assisted him,’ Commissioner Bush said.
‘If anyone was complicit… they will be held to account.’
