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Police have removed from a South Australian mineshaft a body believed to be that of missing Perth toddler Imran Zilic. Police spokesman Senior Constable Mick Turnbull said the body would be brought to Adelaide for formal identification.
"They removed him from the mine last night and did some forensic investigations," Turnbull said yesterday. "It is anticipated that they will bring the boy back to Adelaide."
The toddler's body was yesterday discovered inside a 7m-deep mineshaft about 47km south of Coober Pedy, near the Stuart Highway in northern South Australia.
It is unknown how long the child had been in the mineshaft before his body was found, or if he was dumped there alive.
While the body has still to be formally identified, Detective Inspector Doug Barr has said it was thought to be that of the 3-year-old, who was taken from his Perth home on April 20 by his father, Aliya Zilic.
It was believed Zilic had left his son in Coober Pedy, sparking fears for the child's safety and prompting pleas from the boy's mother for his return.
Police yesterday refused to comment on precisely what information led them to the mine shaft, or whether Zilic had co-operated in the discovery.
The boy's father has been held under the mental health act in Perth since being arrested in Kununurra, in far north Western Australia, last week.
Barr said forensic officers and a pathologist spent the night in the Coober Pedy area and officers planned to arrest a suspect soon.
