Markets 
Weather 
Updated ,first published
Warning: This story contains the names and images of Indigenous people who have died.
Police are offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of accused triple murderer Julian Ingram, who authorities believe is being helped to evade capture.
Ingram has been on the run since January 22, when he allegedly shot dead his heavily pregnant former partner Sophie Quinn, 25, her friend John Harris, 32, and her aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, in the NSW Central West town of Lake Cargelligo. Ingram is also alleged to have shot and seriously injured 20-year-old Kaleb Macqueen, who was 19 at the time of the attack.
Large-scale searching of Lake Cargelligo and surrounds has failed to locate Ingram, also known as Julian Pierpoint, who was last seen leaving town shortly after the shootings. He was seen heading north towards Euabalong, a nearby town of about 80 people where he was raised and had lived until about a decade ago, according to locals. Police have not ruled out the possibility that Ingram may be dead.
“At this point, we do believe that there are people out there – a person on persons – that do have information that can lead to his arrest, and we’re appealing to those people or that person,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos told ABC Radio on Tuesday morning.
Several sightings of Ingram were reported in the days after the shootings, including at Mount Hope, an isolated township about an hour from Lake Cargelligo. Current search efforts remain focused on Lake Cargelligo and its surrounding areas.
Pisanos said police had received about 280 individual pieces of information and searched 60,000 hectares of bush and farmland around Lake Cargelligo.
“We’ve effectively tried not to leave any stone unturned. It’s a massive amount of land out there where he could be. We have responded to every bit of information that we have received from the community to date,” Pisanos said.
Police granted Ingram bail on domestic violence charges last November after he allegedly assaulted Quinn around the time the pair had separated. Ingram was charged with stalking or intimidating, intending to cause fear or physical harm, and common assault.
Ingram had pleaded not guilty to the charges. He had not breached the apprehended domestic violence order in place to protect Sophie Quinn before the shootings, police said, and was granted bail in November after not having committed a violent crime for several years.
Sophie Quinn was due to give birth to a son in March. The child was to be named after her father Troy, who died when she was two years old, her family said.
Interactions between local police and Ingram in the months before the shooting are the subject of an ongoing critical incident investigation being overseen by the state’s policing watchdog. The investigation is examining Ingram and Sophie Quinn’s ongoing relationship in the lead-up to the shooting, Ingram’s access to firearms, and how the 37-year-old, who has never held a gun licence in NSW, accessed the weapon believed to have been used in the shooting.
Ingram is regarded as an expert bushman capable of surviving in isolated scrub with limited resources, having spent several years working as a brush cutter in the Central West. He has not used his phone or accessed his bank accounts since the shootings.
There have been no confirmed sightings of Ingram since he was reportedly seen near Mount Hope on January 25. Several unconfirmed sightings have been reported to police.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley said “even the smallest piece of information” could help police find Ingram.
“If you know anything about his whereabouts, now is the time to speak up,” she said.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service (1800RESPECT) on 1800 737 732.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
From our partners
Read the full article here
