It has been 49 days since Freeman allegedly shot and killed Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson. The incident occurred when they attempted to serve a search warrant at his secluded home in Porepunkah on August 26.

He was last seen fleeing into the bush around Mount Buffalo, with the nearby national park becoming a focus for officers and search crews.

Since the event, Mount Buffalo National Park has been shut down as a part of a police operation, but it has now been partially reopened after staff conducted thorough checks of the facilities on-site.

Most of the popular visitor sites, trails and roads are now accessible to the public, but some areas still remain restricted and prohibited.

Victoria Police said the park’s reopening “does not signify the end of the search for Freeman”, and officers will maintain a presence in the area.

“Despite extensive searches, police have not yet found Desmond Freeman. Victoria Police, however, is confident the park can now reopen, recognizing its importance to the local community,” a statement from Victoria Police clarified.

“With the park open again, police urge individuals with hunting or trail cameras to review their footage and provide any information that could assist in the ongoing investigation,” the statement continued.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush admitted that investigators were unsure whether Freeman was even alive.

“Is he still alive? We don’t know. Is he alive and still in the vicinity? We’ve no definite information to confirm or rule this out. Could he have stayed in the area with someone else’s help? These are all possibilities we cannot disregard,” a spokesperson mentioned during a press conference yesterday.

“All of those are assumptions, possibilities, and we plan and resource for those three.”

Freeman, born as Desmond Christopher Filby, is a conspiracy theorist and self-described sovereign citizen with what police said is an extensive knowledge of the bush and survival.

The 56-year-old has been known to police for a while and holds anti-police and government beliefs.

Australian and New Zealand police have been working together to search for him since the double-fatal shooting on August 26.

Large areas of Porepunkah and the Mount Buffalo National Park have been searched, more than 800 people have been questioned by police, and investigators have followed more than 1600 clues and tip-offs, according to Victoria Police.

But there is still no sign of Freeman.

A $1 million reward remains for any information that can lead to his arrest.

Police urge anyone with information or who sees suspicious behaviour at the national park to contact Crime Stoppers.