It’s now been more than a week since Dezi Freeman disappeared into the Victorian high country after allegedly shooting three police officers in Porepunkah, killing two of them. Despite one of the biggest manhunts in the state’s history – complete with drones, helicopters, thermal imaging, and specialist police units on the ground – Freeman still hasn’t been found.
So why has this search gone on so long, and what makes this case so difficult?
Porepunkah’s dense land
This part of Victoria seems to be notorious for swallowing people whole. The wild country around Porepunkah is dense with bush, cliffs, and valleys, and it’s where Freeman was last seen. The area is riddled with thousands of long-abandoned mineshafts and tunnels — hidden spaces that offer instant cover from search helicopters and drones.
Michael Coates, a search and rescue expert, told AAP: “If the person is in a cave or a rock ledge or in a mine shaft and they’ve got no visible presence to the sky, then they basically remain unrecognised as there is no way of seeing through the ground.”
That’s why thermal imaging and infrared cameras, for all their high-tech promise, aren’t a guarantee of quick answers in country like this.
The Guardian spoke to locals who know the land and claimed that they found beds in old tunnels before. “It’s dry, it’s warm, and it might look a bit gnarly but it’ll keep you out of trouble,” explained Darby Lee to the publication, who’s spent years exploring goldfield relics in the area.
In places like this, the bush offers real protection — and a serious head-start to anyone on the run.
A survivalist mindset
Freeman’s family has described him as a prepper, someone primed for disaster and living ready for the day when everything goes wrong.
According to one relative who spoke to the Daily Mail, “He has been prepping for doomsday all his life. A comet, WW3, whatever that might be. And when that day was to come he would live in the mountains.”
Freeman’s wife, Amalia Freeman, has sent out a public plea to her husband to turn himself in.
“I lend my full support to Victoria Police in their search for my husband and will co-operate with Victoria Police in any way that I can,” she said in a statement through her lawyer.
“Please Dezi, if you see or hear this, call 000 and arrange a surrender plan with the police.”
Possible help on the outside
The manhunt isn’t just about Freeman’s survival skills. Police say he may be getting help from others, with people possibly providing food, shelter, or information. Victoria Police Superintendent Brett Kahan made it clear, “People know the whereabouts of the person who has killed two cops.
“You are committing an extremely serious crime by harbouring or assisting in the escape of Dezi Freeman.”
Despite questioning family members and associates, police say some locals know more than they’re letting on.
The weather and community impact
Since Freeman vanished, the region has faced cold snaps, rain, and even snowfall. Poor visibility and tough terrain have made the already complicated search more difficult and dangerous for those involved.
Police officers are rotated around the clock to keep the search moving, and hundreds of tips have come in from the public.
Mount Buffalo National Park has been closed, and the residents of Porepunkah have spent days on alert, relying on police advice to stay indoors and out of harm’s way.
What happens next in the search for Dezi Freeman?
More than a week into the hunt for Dezi Freeman continues, drawing resources from across Victoria and beyond. This includes a military planning specialist and aerial surveillance assets joining forces with police.
“The Australian Defence Force will work with the Victorian police, as they request our assistance in terms of the particular assets and capabilities that we have, to bring Dezi Freeman to justice,” Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles told the ABC.
Funerals for the two officers lost in the shooting are being planned, and communities from Porepunkah to the surrounding valleys are hoping for closure.
Police stress they won’t give up, but in a region where terrain, technology, and human networks all offer places to hide, the search looks set to drag on — until Freeman is found, or until he decides to come out.
Lead image: 9 News / Visit Victoria
The post ‘People Know The Whereabouts’: Why Police Killer Dezi Freeman Is Still On The Run appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
