FORENSIC officers have begun excavating wetlands north-west of Hobart in search of Lucille Butterworth's remains. Heavy machinery arrived on site this morning, beginning by levelling a disused, overgrown roadside car park between Granton and New Norfolk. An excavator has started levelling trees in what police describe as ''extremely difficult'' terrain. Miss Butterworth vanished from Claremont in August 1969, while waiting for a New Norfolk-bound bus. Police believe she was killed by a passing motorist, who dumped her body alongside the Derwent River, where police are now searching for the first time. Leading the forensic officers is Acting Sergeant Luke Walter, who considers the area's densely thick vegetation his team's most immediate challenge. ''With such thick vegetation we can't tell what's at the base,'' he said. ''Once we get down to ground level we'll have more of an idea of the best way to do that (begin digging).'' Overseeing the officers is Inspector David Plumpton, who said police would begin combing grids just ten centimetres in width and length once the area was cleared. ''At the end of the day it relies on just constant grinding, hard labour,'' he said. ''Bit by bit, as you go into it, you realise it is quite a momentous task.'' The excavation is expected to take at least two weeks. Inspector Plumpton said there was a chance important evidence had been destroyed or damaged in the 46 years since the disappearance. ''That's always the case, always a possibility,'' he said. ''We've just got to hope that if there is any evidence there, we'll find it.'' Inspector Plumpton said evidence may contribute to police pressing charges against a person of interest. ''If we can proceed against anyone for murder that's obviously a signficant thing,'' he said. ''But first and foremost, at the moment, it is about providing the Butterworth family with some opportunity to bury Lucille Butterworth.'' A coronial inquest into Miss Butterworth's murder is scheduled to start on August 31.
FORENSIC officers have begun excavating wetlands north-west of Hobart in search of Lucille Butterworth's remains.
Heavy machinery arrived on site this morning, beginning by levelling a disused, overgrown roadside car park between Granton and New Norfolk.
An excavator has started levelling trees in what police describe as ''extremely difficult'' terrain.
Miss Butterworth vanished from Claremont in August 1969, while waiting for a New Norfolk-bound bus.
Police believe she was killed by a passing motorist, who dumped her body alongside the Derwent River, where police are now searching for the first time.
Leading the forensic officers is Acting Sergeant Luke Walter, who considers the area's densely thick vegetation his team's most immediate challenge.
''With such thick vegetation we can't tell what's at the base,'' he said.
''Once we get down to ground level we'll have more of an idea of the best way to do that (begin digging).''
Overseeing the officers is Inspector David Plumpton, who said police would begin combing grids just ten centimetres in width and length once the area was cleared.
''At the end of the day it relies on just constant grinding, hard labour,'' he said.
''Bit by bit, as you go into it, you realise it is quite a momentous task.''
The excavation is expected to take at least two weeks.
Inspector Plumpton said there was a chance important evidence had been destroyed or damaged in the 46 years since the disappearance.
''That's always the case, always a possibility,'' he said.
''We've just got to hope that if there is any evidence there, we'll find it.''
Inspector Plumpton said evidence may contribute to police pressing charges against a person of interest.
''If we can proceed against anyone for murder that's obviously a signficant thing,'' he said.
''But first and foremost, at the moment, it is about providing the Butterworth family with some opportunity to bury Lucille Butterworth.''
A coronial inquest into Miss Butterworth's murder is scheduled to start on August 31.
