Locals in a town where Australia's most wanted man allegedly shot dead two police officers are hoping for closure after investigators indicated they believe the fugitive is dead.
Victoria Police on Monday began a five-day dragnet for Dezi Freeman, or his remains, using cadaver dogs and specialist officers from around the nation.
It is the latest search in the five-month manhunt for the 56-year-old after the fatal shootings of police officers Neal Thompson and Vadim de Waart-Hottart.
The pair were among a team of officers serving a warrant at Freeman's home in the small northeast Victorian town of Porepunkah in late August.
Detective Inspector Adam Tilley said there had been no sightings of Freeman since the shooting, nor had there been any signs of life since he disappeared into the bush.
They believe he is either dead in the national park, has escaped the park and is being harboured by others or has escaped the area without any help.
"We don't believe that he is still in the area alive," Det Tilley told reporters at the scene on Monday.
"We are comfortable that we don't believe he is here alive ... we do believe strongly, that he is in this area deceased."
A local cafe owner, who asked not to be named due to privacy concerns, said if police were able to find Freeman's body, it would lift a cloud over the community.
"What it is, is not knowing that there's an end. It's like this thing that just lingers over you, an unfinished business," she told AAP.
"The family needs to get on with the grieving process, and they've got an answer and (the community) can all move on."
Alpine Shire Council Mayor Sarah Nicholas said the most important thing for the community was closure.
"Closure means there isn't any residual concern that that particular part of the incident might flare up again. It means that you can move forward," she said.
The fresh search of Mount Buffalo National Park includes remote sites in the region about 300km northeast of Melbourne.
Police expect to search 1.3km of dense, challenging bushland over the week, the area of about 52 football ovals.
Officers will focus on a region close to a previously probed area, based on intelligence gleaned about a gunshot that rang out about two hours after the fatal shootings.
Detective Senior Constable Thompson, 59, was just a week away from retiring, while Senior Constable de Waart-Hottart, 34, was on temporary assignment to the area.
More than 400 police deployed in the days after the killings failed to find Freeman, who was last seen fleeing into dense bushland in the alpine region.
Officers from Taskforce Summit, formed in October, have investigated thousands of pieces of intelligence, including numerous tip-offs from the public, and the hunt for Freeman was the force's "number one priority".
"I'm not saying that he is 100 per cent confirmed dead. I am saying there is a strong possibility that he is deceased on Mount Buffalo and we just haven't located him," Det Tilley said.
Asked if that was the strongest possibility in this situation, he said: "It is at the moment, yes."
Bright and District Chamber of Commerce president Marcus Warner said the police update gave businesses and the community more certainty closure was near.
"We're encouraged by that news, and we're obviously looking to see a line drawn under this tragic incident as soon as possible," he said.
Victoria Police have offered a $1 million reward, the largest in the state's history, and the possibility of indemnity for information leading to Freeman's capture.
"This will not finish. We hope to have answers this week," Det Tilley said.
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