THE son of murdered Griffith anti-drugs crusader Don Mackay says he is “hopeful but not confident” a wide-scale search of a Hay lettuce farm will uncover the final resting place of his father.
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In one of the most dramatic developments since Mr Mackay’s 1977 murder, police – acting on an anonymous tip-off from 2011 – began excavating at a Maude Road property on Wednesday in a bid to finally solve a mystery that has cast a dark cloud over the city for 36 years.
Speaking exclusively to The Daily Advertiser sister publication The Area News, Paul Mackay – the only member of the family left in Griffith – said while the discovery of his father’s remains would finally bring closure, there had been “too many false dawns” in the past.
“We’re always hopeful but never confident,” Mr Mackay said.
“This sort of thing has happened before and we’re no more confident that we have been in the past.”
Griffith detectives, forensic officers from the Australian Federal Police and a host of other agencies scoured the property for the past two days, draining a dam and focusing on a former pig sty.
A police source told The Area News authorities were most interested in a small patch of land on the farm – about 50 metres by 30 metres – and would be “digging a deep hole” there.
Griffith Police commander Michael Rowan said the search was set down for between five and seven days, describing the information that led police to the site as “credible”.
“It was information that came to the Griffith station in December 2011 from an anonymous source and indicated where the body could be located,” Superintendent Rowan said.
“We’ve made extensive inquiries since then to support the tip-off and we’re now in a situation where we can not discount it – it’s serious enough for us to launch such a large-scale search.
“This is Australia’s first political assassination and very close to the hearts of Griffith people. We owe it to them and the family to do this properly.”
The property, which remains under 24-hour guard, is owned by elderly farmer Con Fattore, who is not believed to be a suspect in the case.
Mr Fattore, 79, who does not live on the property, refused to comment on how long he had owned the property or the nature of the search.
“It’s my property but ask the police. I got nothing to do with it,” he said.