Murder victims' bodies found burning in drums

SYDNEY - Firefighters found the smouldering remains of two murder victims stuffed inside fuel drums on the NSW south coast yesterday, hours after a man handed himself in to police.

Officers were last night questioning the 27-year-old man, and a 36-year-old woman located later yesterday morning, over the crime.

Rural Fire Service officers made the grisly discovery about midday after being called to a small fire in the Tomerong State Forest, near Nowra, about 210km south of Sydney.

There they found two burning 44-gallon drums, and soon realised there were human remains inside.

"It was a horrific find for anyone," Shoalhaven Police Superintendent Kyle Stewart said from the scene. "[It was] a fairly horrific scene, the two bodies were on fire at the time, or the barrels in which they were located were on fire when the RFS responded and certainly that doesn't add to the pleasantness of the situation."

Stewart said the victims were believed to be a man and woman from the local area who probably knew their killers.

Forensic tests will be done on the remains to officially establish the victims' identities, and the cause of death.

Stewart said several crime scenes had been established, including two homes west of Nowra.

One of the homes was the base for Champagne Shires Horse Stud, operated by Kathryn McKay. Calls to the stud were not returned.

Police also found a burned-out utility truck in bush near the naval base HMAS Albatross, about 5km west of Nowra and about 10km from where the bodies were found.

- AAP