The wife of Dezi Freeman has been spotted in public for the first time, months after her husband allegedly shot dead two policemen in regional Victoria.
Mali Freeman, 42, was with the sovereign citizen when 10 officers arrived at their secluded property in the small town of Porepunkah, in the state’s northeast, to execute a search warrant on the morning of August 26.
Freeman and his family were inside a bus when police knocked on the door and urged him to come out. Moments later, he fired several shots, killing Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart.
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The mother-of-three has remained off the radar but was spotted on the weekend as police continue to search for her fugitive husband in one of the largest manhunts in Australia.
Dressed in a short-sleeve pink top and sage-coloured khaki pants she was seen in deep conversation with a friend on a park bench.
Ms Freeman was barefoot and seemed relaxed.
Later she appeared happy and had a smile on her face while at a kids playground with one of her children near other mums.
When approached by Daily Mail, the singer told them she had to “get baby home”.
“I have no comment,” Ms Freeman said.
Despite not speaking, a friend told the publication the 42-year-old is “a broken woman living in fear” and has mostly retreated from going out in public since the double shooting.
“She has no idea if her husband, the father of her children, is dead or alive,” they said.
“She has no idea when this nightmare will end or if it ever will. She became a solo parent overnight and she also lost her home in the process.”
Ms Freeman has reportedly been relying on the kindness of friends, neighbours and church members who have donated necessities such as food, clothing and accommodation.
It has previously been reported she appeared to have strong ties to the community through her volunteer work and teaching children music.
Moments after the deadly shooting, her husband reportedly stole the guns of the two slain officers and fled into bushland at the foot of Mount Buffalo National Park.
Ms Freeman also ran from the scene with two of her kids. She and their 15-year-old son days later were arrested by police during an operation.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush told reporters the following day that they had interviewed the pair and released them pending inquiries.
One senior detective also revealed Ms Freeman had not been co-operating with police in the hours following the incident and were instead liaising with a lawyer.
The mother-of-three days later urged her husband or anyone helping him to surrender, while she also expressed “deep sorrow” for the deaths of the two officers.
“We are truly sorry for your loss, and the suffering and grief that the families, friends and colleagues of Detective Leading Senior Constable Thompson and Senior Constable De Waart are now experiencing,” she said in a statement via her lawyer.
“My children and I grieve for the loss of your loved ones.
“Please Dezi, if you see or hear this, call triple-0 and arrange a surrender plan with the police.”
Ms Freeman also stressed she did not share extremist or hold anti-authority views, and that she and her children “respect the important work of Victoria Police”.
Cops trying to find Dezi’s body
In an update late last week, police revealed they were focusing their latest Freeman search on finding his body.
The 56-year-old is believed to have fled on foot into the dense bushland armed with guns and has not been seen since.
A $1m reward has been offered for anyone who provides information thatleads to the arrest of the self-described “sovereign citizen”.
On Friday morning, Victoria Police confirmed they completed an extensive search of Mount Buffalo National Park last week as the search continues.
The targeted search is now focused on trying to find Freeman’s remains, police said.
Police said previous searches had been conducted in the area on September 12 “with the purpose of locating an active armed offender”.
“However on this occasion, search teams were focused on identifying and locating evidence or the body of Freeman,” police said.
The search included crews from the Eastern Region, Search and Rescue, Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), drone unit and the dog squad as well as two cadaver dogs, which are specifically trained to sniff out scents of human decomposition.
The search spanned five days, encompassing 0.8862 sqkm of thick bush and heavy terrain.
As part of the targeted search, police conducted line searches and cleared caves.
Extensive air searches of the park have also been undertaken by police.
Since the shooting, investigators have looked into 1950 pieces of intelligence, including information from the public.
Assistant commissioner Martin O’Brien said the new targeted search was conducted based on intelligence received.
“The devastating loss of Neal and Vadim has struck at the heart of Victoria Police and had an enormous impact on the Porepunkah community,” he said.
“I want to reaffirm to the community that Victoria Police remains committed to doing everything we can – using every available resource and the necessary capabilities – to locate Desmond Freeman.
“We will continue to conduct targeted searches such as this one based on intelligence.
“We will maintain a presence in the community, and we are determined we will see this to resolution.
Anyone who sees Freeman has been urged to not approach him and call triple-0 immediately.
– with Newswire
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