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Police allege mum feared son might kill her, as body found

Earlier: Search for mother continues as son faces court

A Gold Coast mum feared for her own safety and thought her son might kill her, a court has heard, as police made a tragic discovery in her disappearance.

Queensland police on Thursday night said they believed they had found the body of Wendy Sleeman, 61, in the back of a car in a garage on Brisbane’s north side.

“Tragically, the body of a woman we believe to be Wendy was found inside the vehicle. This is a devastating outcome for her loved ones and our thoughts remain with them,” Superintendent Brendan Smith said.

Ms Sleeman had been missing since she contacted police on Tuesday. A crime scene was declared at a Gold Coast home where there was a large amount of blood and drag marks.

Her son, who is accused of kidnapping, had his bail bid knocked back as police alleged there was evidence of planning in the disappearance of his mother.

Wheelchair-bound with visible marks to his head, Slade Murdok sat quietly for the majority of his bail application in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.

The 30-year-old was on bail for unrelated offences when he was arrested and charged in relation to the disappearance of his mother, the court heard.

Mr Murdok’s lawyer Rodney Keyte said the case against his client was weak despite the seriousness of the charges, which included domestic violence-related counts of kidnapping, assault, stalking and attempted arson.

Based on the circumstantial evidence, Mr Keyte said he highly doubted the case would make it past the committal stage and questioned what tied his client to the scene.

In opposing bail, police prosecutors argued they had a “very strong and very powerful” case against Mr Murdok.

Officers found a pool of blood on the bathroom floor and drag marks along the floor, indicating the victim was bleeding heavily and unconscious, prosecutors said.

Ms Sleeman feared for her own safety and believed Mr Murdok might try to kill her as recently as January 23, the court heard.

Evidence gathered so far point to the events at the property being planned, Detective Superintendent Smith told reporters.

Ms Sleeman had called police after discovering a disturbance at her home on Tuesday afternoon.

“She came home from work, and the house had been given some forced entry, and she noticed some damage,” Detective Superintendent Smith said.

By the time police arrived 30 minutes later, Ms Sleeman was missing.

Officers were unable to intercept a vehicle that was leaving the property at speed and went back to the property where they could smell petrol and see smoke, the court was told.

The scene indicated there had been violence involved in the disappearance, while there was also evidence of a fire that had started but was extinguished.

Mr Murdok had earlier allegedly gone to the school where his mother worked, but Mr Keyte contested the certainty of his identification.

Police have appealed to anyone who may have seen the blue Honda jazz with Queensland registration 952-AT4 to contact police, particularly residents of south Brisbane, Logan and the Gold Coast.

“Verified sightings on Tuesday, January 24 include Ironbark Road, Elanora around 3pm, the intersection of Paradise Point  Road and Kingston Road, Logan Central at 5.50pm and Jean Street, Slacks Creek, at 5.52pm.”

The case against Mr Murdok has been adjourned for mention on February 14.

-AAP

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