The lost grave of an Aboriginal tracker who helped solve a notorious murder has been located in Western Australia's outback.
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this story contains images of people who have died.
In 1926, Detective Inspector John Walsh and Detective Sergeant Alexander Pitman were murdered by two gold thieves.
Their dismembered remains were found down a mineshaft at Millers Find, about 10 kilometres southwest of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, by Indigenous trackers "Broadarrow Tommy" and his son-in-law Cordi Sambo.
Descendants of the duo know where Cordi Sambo is buried, but the location of Broadarrow Tommy remained a mystery for years.
Great-granddaughter Tessa Sambo and her family turned to the local paper recently in a bid to find more information about his final resting place.
City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder historian Timothy Moore saw the article and wanted to help.
"I was reading the paper and I thought, 'that sounds like something I can look into'," he said.
Questions answered 80 years on
After a few days of searching, it was soon revealed that his legal name was Tommy O'Reedie and he died of pneumonia in July 1940 at the Kalgoorlie Hospital.
Mr Moore then reached out to the family on social media.
"One of the family members got into contact with me and I then started to tell that person, 'look, it's all about Broadarrow Tommy'," he said.
The huge discovery made at the weekend was welcomed by Ms Sambo who now finally has answers to where his gravesite is located.
The site is simply marked by the number 8890 at the Kalgoorlie Cemetery.
"Now that we know where Broadarrow Tommy is buried, we can go and visit him," Ms Sambo said.
"We can let him know that we are still here."
Ms Sambo hopes the Kalgoorlie-Boulder police will add her family to the memorial dedicated to detectives Alexander Pitman and John Walsh, situated at Millers Find.
"I think it's about time that people recognise what they did, who they are and where they come from," she said.
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