Human remains believed to belong to a Melbourne woman missing for two years have been found in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Victoria Police confirmed on Monday that a body was discovered in bushland off Rogers Rd near Patterson Rd, Cape Schanck at 10.30am.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Police confirm human remains found in search for Melbourne woman Maryam Hamka
Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >>
The remains are believed to be that of 36-year-old Maryam Hamka, who was last seen leaving a Brunswick supermarket on April 10, 2021 after telling her family she was going to visit a friend in Brighton.
She was reported missing by her family five days later.
In 2021, two men were charged in relation to Hamka’s death.
Tragic end in search for missing man after body found on beach
Tasmanian teen’s mum speaks for the first time since remains found
Former boyfriend Toby Loughnane, 41, was charged with one count of murder, while 26-year-old Oscar Newman was charged with assisting in the alleged murder.
Police allege Loughnane murdered Hamka in his Brighton home on April 11 and recruited Newman to help clean the crime scene and move her body.
Both pleaded not guilty last year during a committal hearing and were ordered to stand trial.
On the last day she was seen, Hamka sent her friend Shane Allen a text message saying, “sorry I blew out”.
Maryam Hamka, who was last seen leaving a Brunswick supermarket on April 10, 2021. Credit: 7NEWSPolice located human remains believed to belong to the 36-year-old on Monday morning. Credit: 7NEWS
He said he called her at 3am or 4am on April 11 after seeing the text.
“She didn’t sound right. I was just checking, worried about her,” he told the court in 2022.
Under questioning by Loughnane’s barrister Daniel Sala, he said the phrase “blew out” was used by people who had taken too much of the drug GHB.
Another witness told the court that Hamka and Loughnane argued in front of her for more than three hours in the weeks before she went missing.
The court also heard that a significant stain with a blood-like appearance was found on a section of carpet at the bottom of the stairs in Loughnane’s Brighton home, but no DNA profile could be obtained from the sample.
In 2021 Hamka’s former boyfriend Toby Loughnane (left) was charged with one count of murder while 26-year-old Oscar Newman (right) was charged with assisting in an alleged murder. Credit: 7NEWS
Assistant Commissioner Mick Frewen said the past two years had been an “incredibly difficult time” for Hamka’s family.
“Our heartfelt thoughts are with Maryam’s family and friends,” he said.
“Our members have worked under very difficult and trying conditions to ensure that every avenue of inquiry has been exhausted, so we could provide answers to Maryam’s family.
“We know this has been an incredibly difficult and traumatic time for them. We hope that this will bring the closure they need and Maryam can finally be laid to rest.”
The human remains found on Monday are yet to be formally identified.
“The coroner has been advised and a postmortem will occur in due course,” Victoria Police said.
Victims of suspected mushroom poisoning at lunch identified
Woman killed as crash causes car to flip on Victorian road
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your Cookie Settings.
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.
