A 29-year-old man will contest a murder charge after the body of his partner was found buried under a concrete slab at a property at Mannum, east of Adelaide.
Neil Archer made no application for bail in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday after police confirmed the discovery of Jody Meyers' body, buried inside a toolshed.
The 20-year-old had been missing for a month with court documents alleging Archer killed her between August 25 and 28.
Archer said little as he appeared by video link from the Murray Bridge police station with his lawyer, Stephen Ey, telling the court the allegations would be contested.
Mr Ey also successfully applied for the case to be heard in Adelaide when Archer returns to court on December 1.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Archer was charged early on Friday as police moved on the Mannum property of his parents.
Within hours they confirmed the discovery of a body they believed was that of Ms Meyers.
Detective Inspector Greg Hutchins said the woman's death appeared to be "another very tragic domestic violence related murder."
"Jody is now just another statistic, having her life tragically cut short, very brutally," he said.
Ms Meyers was last seen leaving a property near Murray Bridge on August 26.
Earlier this month police divers searched part of the Murray River about 20 kilometres downstream from Mannum while mounted patrols searched roads in the area, looking the woman's phone and engagement ring.
At that time police also seized CCTV footage believed to show a person accessing the missing woman's bank account at a local ATM.
On Thursday they arrested a 55-year-old woman, also from Mannum, and charged her with theft for allegedly withdrawing money from Ms Meyers' account.
The woman was bailed to appear in the Murray Bridge Magistrates Court on September 30.
