Man charged over death of Valmai Birch, whose body was dumped in wheelie bin eight years ago
The body of Valmai Birch was found in her Woonoona unit in 2011.
Police have charged a man on the New South Wales south coast in connection with the death of Valmai Birch, whose remains were found inside a wheelie bin in 2011.
Homicide detectives and Wollongong Police set up Strike Force Gareth to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 34-year-old woman’s death.
After police asked the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to review the brief of evidence, a 52-year-old man was arrested at a Kiama home at 7:30am on Tuesday morning.
He was taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station and charged with manslaughter.
Mrs Valmai’s remains were discovered stuffed into a wheelie bin in the bathroom of her Woonona unit on March 21, 2011.
Authorities made the gruesome discovery after neighbours reported a foul odour coming from the apartment.
Detectives at the time said they believed she had been dead for several weeks.
An autopsy of the body proved inconclusive, but police still considered the circumstances surrounding the death to be suspicious.
Police suspect she was killed between March 9 and 22, 2011.
In 2014 police released CCTV images of Mrs Valmai outside Wollongong train station in the days before her death.
The man was refused bail to appear at Wollongong Local Court today.
