EXCLUSIVE: Ex-Partner of Brisbane Mum Found Dead in River Charged with MURDER – Seven Months After Her Body Was Pulled from the Water
- Crystal Beale, 49, was found dead in the Brisbane River in February after a family dinner
- Her ex-partner, 49, has been charged with murder and misconduct with a corpse
- The man was arrested at a Maudsland address on Monday morning after a search warrant was executed
- Ms Beale’s children, aged 22 and 15, have struggled to come to terms with her traumatic death
A devastating turn of events has shaken the family of Crystal Beale, a 49-year-old mum of two who was found dead in the Brisbane River in February. Seven months after her body was pulled from the water, her ex-partner has been charged with her murder.
According to police, Crystal Beale was last seen leaving a restaurant in Sunnybank after a family dinner on the night of her death. She was captured on CCTV getting into her ex-partner’s car, which travelled to West End in the city’s inner-south. The ex-partner allegedly dropped her off, and her body was later found in the river by a rower.
Initially, police deemed Ms Beale’s death as not suspicious, but a homicide investigation was launched weeks later following further investigations and a post-mortem. Operation Xray Saba was established to piece together the events of that night and Ms Beale’s life leading up to her death.
Following extensive investigations, which involved the examination of over 1000 hours of CCTV, detectives conducted a search warrant at a Maudsland address on Monday morning. The ex-partner, 49, was arrested and charged with one count each of murder (domestic violence offence) and misconduct with a corpse.
Footage released by Queensland Police showed the man being arrested by detectives as police dogs scoured the property. Other officers were seen examining a car at the property.
Crystal Beale‘s children, aged 22 and 15, have struggled to come to terms with her traumatic death. Her daughter, Charlie-Rose Wagner, has spent months pleading for answers about what happened to her ‘beautiful, selfless’ mother.
‘At first, we were assured that her death was non-suspicious, this has now taken a horrific turn and I will never be the same again,’ Ms Wagner wrote in March. ‘I urge anyone who knows anything to please contact the police with information. Please share everywhere you can. Help me bring my mum to peace.’
Detective Inspector Wayne Francis said, ‘Over the past seven months, detectives have been tirelessly investigating every avenue possible to find answers for her family. We were not going to give up until we could provide these answers and get justice for Crystal.’
The ex-partner did not apply for bail when the case was mentioned in Brisbane Magistrate’s Court on Monday. He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on October 20.