A NSW mother has been charged over the murder of her 16-month-old toddler in the Hunter Valley 15 years ago.
The toddler was last seen in January 2001, but was only reported missing in 2004.
A 43-year-old woman was arrested by police at Evans Head on the far north coast about 7.30am on Wednesday.
Detective Chief Inspector Tim Seymour confirmed the woman was the child's mother.
He said her arrest was the culmination of a number of inquiries over more than a decade.
"It shows the dedication and resilience of the people investigating," he said.
Police are continuing to investigate what happened to the toddler's body.
A 2013 coronial inquest into the child's disappearance heard the mother was involved in "witchcraft" and was paranoid about protecting the girl from pedophiles.
A family friend said he believed the toddler was living in Byron Bay or Coffs Harbour, after the mother repeatedly told people her daughter was living with friends.
But police told the inquest it was believed the child's body may have been "secreted" in a well on a property where the family previously lived.
Det Insp Seymour would not confirm whether that location was one that had been searched by investigators.
"We've conducted a lot of searches, and again I can't comment on specifics, but we will continue searching," he said.
"There's always a degree of optimism that somebody is aware of what happened and where the remains are located."
The girl's grandmother only learnt of the toddler's disappearance in 2004, after becoming estranged from her own daughter.
"It's a difficult time. This is affecting the whole family. We are all very anxious," she said in a statement at the time.
The woman appeared in Lismore Local Court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody to return to the same court on March 22.
Share
