Mount George Yowie Update

BUSH fugitive Malcolm Naden may have been as far east as Mount George in August 2009 when two women saw what they believed was a "yowie" on Nowendoc Road.

The Manning River Times reported at the time that the two women were approaching Connelly's Creek Gap "just the other side of Mt George" at 7.30pm and saw "a big hairy animal thing" illuminated in their headlights on the side of the winding road.

Faye Burke and Alana Garnett from Wingham said the hairy thing stood perfectly still "like it was at attention" and had dark "chocolate brown hair which was all matted."

Though the women maintained it was not a man dressed up but was in fact a yowie or big foot-like creature, by their description it could well have been Naden, whose computer-enhanced image recently released by police does have dark curly hair. He is also described as 177cm tall - five foot 10 in the old scale.

Described as an expert bushman, Naden has survived alone in the bush since June 2005 when he disappeared from his grandparents' house in west Dubbo. He is wanted on warrants for the murder of a 24-year-old woman in Dubbo in June 2005 and an aggravated indecent assault against a 15-year-old girl.

Police confirmed yesterday that the campsite raided last Wednesday was Naden's as his fingerprints were found there. A police officer was shot during the raid.

Naden has also been linked to a number of burglaries in the Barrington Tops area over the past few years. In January 2009 his fingerprints were found at break-ins at Bellbrook, west of Kempsey. In June 2010 he was as far south as Mount Mooney near Gloucester, where his prints were found again.

The "yowie" sighting occurred between these two points and dates.

Detectives from the Homicide Squad have been investigating the whereabouts of Naden under Strike Force Durkin. Enquries led them to bushland near Nowendoc. Sixty officers are now involved in the search.

A reward of $250,000 is now in place for information leading to the capture of Naden.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.