Search for Dulcie Birt moves on

POLICE and the Royal Australian Navy have shifted their attention to another lake in the Riverview area, after an exhaustive search of Green Lakes hoping to find the remains of Riverview woman Dulcie Birt.

Sonar equipment was used to scan the bottom of the abandoned coal mine, now 32m deep with water. The Navy equipment was brought in after previous efforts by police divers to search the lake proved dangerous and unproductive.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Gary Dixon said the sonar found three items that warranted a closer look, but the items later proved to be of no consequence to the murder investigation.

“One of them was a fence post and the other was an irregularity in the bottom,” Acting Senior Sergeant Dixon said.

The third item was not identified but was ruled out as having any relevance.

The search of Green Lakes was completed at noon yesterday and the sonar equipment was moved to nearby Aqua Lake.

Aqua Lake was used to store water pumped out of Green Lakes when police divers were conducting underwater searches back in December last year.