A new Daily Mail theory about how Dezi Freeman escaped and where he could be hiding now has prompted police to search a new area of bushland.
Senior journalist Jonica Bray suggests that Freeman might have used a kayak to navigate the swift Buckland River as his escape route following a raid by ten officers on his property in Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, on August 26.
The new theory emerged after Daily Mail discovered a YouTube account belonging to the self-proclaimed sovereign citizen.
In one of the three clips shared on the account, Freeman is spotted kayaking along the Buckland River, which borders his secluded property.
‘He is a very experienced and skilled kayaker,’ Bray said on Friday.
‘He navigates the rapids with his kayak… It’s plausible that Freeman had his kayak stationed right on the riverbank, making it easily accessible from his bus.’
Bray explained the kayak would have allowed Freeman ‘a much quicker escape’ than trekking through dense bushland into the mountains on foot.
Just hours after Daily Mail shared the new theory, a police helicopter was seen flying over the Buckland River on Saturday morning.
Freeman uploaded a YouTube video of himself kakaying down the Buckland River in early 2021
Just hours after Daily Mail shared the new theory, a police helicopter was seen flying over the Buckland River on Saturday morning (pictured)
The Buckland River runs along the perimeter of Freeman’s property in Porepunkah
This follows a revelation of Freeman’s secretive hideout in a social media post from four years ago, although its precise location remains unknown—even to his closest relatives.
Investigators now think Freeman might have retreated to this hidden spot amid the harsh terrain of Mount Buffalo after allegedly fatally shooting two officers.
Nicknamed ‘Buffalo Creek’ by Freeman, this area isn’t found in any online maps of the region. Its existence is supported only by a single photograph that Daily Mail has acquired.
As the manhunt for the self-proclaimed sovereign citizen moves into its third week, investigators are urgently trying to track it down, convinced it could have been his secret refuge from the authorities.
‘He wouldn’t tell any of us exactly where it was and I have no doubt he headed there,’ one of Freeman’s most trusted sources told Daily Mail in an exclusive interview.
‘I know the details have been provided to the police but, before all of this, no one we know has ever been able to find it.
‘He is fiercely protective over that location and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had taken tubs of essentials up there long before (the alleged incident) and has them stashed already.’
Daily Mail also understands investigators are now working with Meta in a desperate bid to gain access to Freeman’s multiple social media accounts to find fresh leads, as the 450-strong manhunt continues with seemingly no real progress.
Detectives now believe Freeman have have vanished to a remote sanctuary in the mountains
About 450 police officers and the Australian Defence Force continue to hunt for Freeman as the search enters its third week
Freeman’s alleged refuge is believed to be hidden deep within the rugged slopes of Mt Buffalo
While Freeman used his Facebook, which has public posts, to condemn and attack police and authorities, his Instagram paints a different picture of the father-of-three.
Locked from prying eyes, access to Freeman’s Instagram page is only for his family and lifelong friends. Within it, he shared his passion for nature and loving photos of his children.
It was here that Freeman is understood to have often spoken of his secret spot, a place he made a point of keeping as his most tightly guarded secret.
One single photo posted in 2021 now offers the vital clue that police desperately need.
Along with a photo of an unusual rock pool formation high in the mountainous terrain against a backdrop of thick forest, Freeman wrote:
‘My happy place. Buffalo Creek. Here I am me, I am in my element, I am connected, I am where I belong, I am who I am.’
About 450 police officers and the Australian Defence Force continue to hunt for Freeman as the search enters its third week.
The two officers shot dead during the confrontation last month, 59-year-old Neal Thompson and 35-year-old Vadim De Waart-Hottart, have both been laid to rest.
Police have also searched more than 100 properties in the surrounding towns and have received hundreds of tips and pieces of new information since announcing a $1million reward.
