Murdered Karen Ristevski’s stepson calls for her killer to ‘confess’ after her body was found wedged in fallen tree
Anthony Rickard paid tribute to Karen Ristevski in a series of Facebook posts
THE stepson of the murdered mum whose decomposed body was found wedged inside a tree has urged her killer to come forward and confess.
Anthony Rickard paid tribute to Karen Ristevski in a series of Facebook posts, describing the Melbourne mum as his “one true soulmate”.
He urged her killer to own up to police, saying it was only a matter of time before the person responsible would be “spending a long time behind bars”.
“As much as you have hurt me Karen I would never wish any harm to you,” Mr Rickard wrote on Facebook.
In a separate post he said: “All that I've done I'm sorry for all you have done to me I forgive.
“I wish u were living it up overseas you’re the only person who showed me true love and will always have a place for u in my heart u were my one true soulmate (sic).”
It came as the lawyer of Karen’s husband Borce Ristevski said it was “pretty clear” that police had him as their “number one suspect”.
But lawyer Rob Stary said his client maintained his innocence and urged people not to jump to conclusions about what happened, news.com.au reported.
A passer-by discovered Ms Ristevski’s corpse inside a fallen tree beside a dirt track at Mount Macedon, about 40 miles north of Melbourne on Monday.
The grim discovery was a tragic end to the eight-month search for the mum.
Police were drawn to the search area after phone towers traced mobile phones to the region on the day Mrs Ristevski disappeared.
The phones belonged to Mrs Ristevski and her husband, reports .
Earlier, detectives visited the Ristevski family home in Avondale Heights, Melbourne.
Friends and family were also seen leaving flowers and visiting the address.
Mrs Ristevski’s brother Stephen Williams visited the site where the body was found.
He spent two hours walking the dirt track with a red rose in his back pocket but declined to give a comment.
The positive ID follows forensic tests carried out on the body found in bush 30 miles from the site where Mrs Ristevski was last seen.
Mrs Ristevski, 47, vanished nearly eight months ago and her remains were found less than 20 miles north of Toolern Vale, where a two-day search was launched before Christmas.
On December 19 and 20 last year, police drained dams and searched countryside south of the woodland where the body was found.
It was a case that gripped Victoria from the moment Mrs Ristevski left her luxury home on June 29 last year and disappeared without a trace.
Her husband, Borce Ristevski, said his wife went for a walk to “clear her head” after an argument over money and he reportedly told family she may have been snatched by a stranger.
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Mr Ristevski dismissed claims by Mr Rickard, a self-confessed drug user, that he had overheard Mrs Ristevski talking about leaving Borce when their daughter Sarah turned 21.
Mrs Ristevski hadn’t used her bank accounts or phone since she disappeared.
It was revealed on Tuesday that a witness told police he saw a man with a shovel at the location where Mrs Ristevski’s body was found.
The witness allegedly joked “What did you do to the body?” to the man but was met with an expressionless face, the reports.
Local resident Ian Flannery told 9 News he “could not believe” the grisly find.
“I’m a bit flummoxed. It’s very, very unusual,” he said.
Police conducted a line search at the scene on Monday and are keen to speak to anyone that may have seen any suspicious activity in that area.
“Missing Persons Squad detectives are appealing for anyone that may have been walking along the dirt track off Loch Road or anyone that may have seen any vehicles to contact them,” police said on Tuesday.
Investigators are also hoping to speak to anyone that may have been at Mount Macedon any time from June last year and took photos or any video footage in the area.
On Monday, Karen’s nephew, Chris Ristevski, was stunned when told of the discovery of the body.
“I’m shocked, I haven’t heard anything about this so I’m still trying to take it all in,” he said.