Police investigating the 1996 disappearance of teenager Sarah Spiers, the first suspected victim in Perth's so-called Claremont serial killings, have charged Bradley Robert Edwards with her murder.
Edwards, 49, of Kewdale, was charged in late 2016 with the murders of the other known Claremont victims, Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon.
Western Australian Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said on Thursday that Edwards had been charged with wilful murder over Ms Spiers' disappearance in 1996.
"This development follows extensive inquiries by the Macro investigation team within the cold case homicide squad,” he said.
The commissioner warned that due to the high profile of the case, no additional information could be given at this stage, and asked the community to be patient and show restraint throughout the court proceedings.
“I ask everyone in the community to please allow the judicial process to take its course unimpeded,” said Commissioner Dawson.
"Comments posted on social media are also not immune to contempt of court proceedings."
The 18-year-old had been out celebrating Australia Day with friends at the Club Bayview nightclub and was last seen leaving the venue in the earlier hours of Saturday morning.
She called for a taxi from a phone box near the corner of Stirling Road and Stirling Highway just after 2am, a short walk from the Claremont club - but when the taxi arrived several minutes later, she was nowhere to be seen.
"This is a significant development in a long-running and high-profile investigation," Mr Dawson told reporters.
He also said the Spiers family did not want to comment during what was a "very traumatic time" for them.
The Police Commissioner also renewed calls for information on a vehicle they believe could help with the investigation which has yet to be located.
Last month, detectives appealed for information on a 1992 white Toyota Camry station wagon with the vehicle identification number (VIN) of 6T172SV2109318479.
Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde said despite the vehicle being deregistered a decade ago, they were hopeful the car is still intact.
A supplied image obtained Thursday, February 1, 2018 of a white 1992 Toyota Camry station wagon. Source: WA Police
"We are aware this car was deregistered in 2008, but from that time onwards it is unclear what happened to it," he said.
"It may have been wrecked or abandoned, or could still be in use on a rural property."
Edwards will appear in court on charges involving five women on February 28.
The fear that a serial killer was stalking Claremont streets in the 1990s terrified Perth residents at the time and is believed to be Australia's longest-running and most expensive police investigation.
The two other victims also disappeared after nights out in the same area of Claremont as Ms Spiers.
23-year-old Child care worker Jane Rimmer disappeared after leaving the same nightclub in June 1996, and 27-year-old lawyer Ciara Glennon disappeared in the same area in March 1997.
Ms Rimmer's body was discovered in Wellard in August 1996, while Ms Glennon's body was found in bushland in Eglington in April 1997.
Edwards is also charged with abducting and raping a 17-year-old girl in February 1995 in Claremont and indecently assaulting an 18-year-old woman during a break-in at a Huntingdale home in February 1988.
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