A near-Gympie man was arrested on Friday 23 January and charged with torture, deprivation of liberty and extortion, following the discovery of a man’s body in the South Burnett region last year.
The tiny community of Maidenwell was rocked by the news last August and investigations have continued since then.
Friday’s arrest of a man, 44, from Lake Macdonald, near Cooroy, followed charges in August of torture and murder against three other men, one from North Lakes near Brisbane and two from the Sunshine Coast, police said today 24 January.
Brisbane CIB and Homicide Investigation Unit detectives said the news followed the suspicious disappearance and alleged murder last year of 56-year-old Andrew Burow.
The spokesperson said Mr Burow was taken by car on 21 August from Kelvin Grove in Brisbane to “multiple locations across South East Queensland between 21 and 25 August, where the three men allegedly tortured him.
The trio, one from North Lakes and two from the Sunshine Coast, are accused of having then killed Mr Burow and left his body beside Brooklands Pimpimbudgee Road at Maidenwell.
Police appealed for public assistance and the three were arrested on 8 October.
They are a 26-year-old North Lakes man, a 38-year-old Sippy Downs man, and a 57-year-old Buderim man.
Police at that time said the three faced one count each of murder, kidnapping, extortion and misconduct with a corpse.
Police have alleged that Mr Burow and the North Lakes man were known to each other.
“Mr Burow’s out of character disappearance was reported to police on 24 August”, the spokesperson said.
“Late on 26 August, investigations led detectives to believe the disappearance to be suspicious.
“Early in the morning on 27 August, an Incident Centre was established by Brisbane City Criminal Investigation Branch under Operation Veer.
“Between 27 August and 3 September police issued several appeals for information, which ultimately led to a Crime Stoppers report leading investigators to locating Mr Burow’s remains at Maidenwell on 2 September.
“On 8 October, police charged the first three men with murder, kidnapping, extortion and misconduct with a corpse by interfering.
“The Buderim man was charged with an additional one count of torture. The North Lakes and Sippy Downs men were previously charged with this offence on 27 August.
North Brisbane District Detective Acting Inspector Murray O’Connell said there was no scenario in which investigators were prepared to give up on finding justice for Mr Burow.
“This was a complex investigation – with the investigative team working around the clock to canvas a significant portion of South East Queensland to locate Mr Burow.”
“The report which led to us locating Mr Burow’s body demonstrates how important every report from media and tips members of the public report to police can be in solving a bigger piece of the puzzle for investigations.”
Until then, police had not given up hope of finding him alive.
“Media and public are thanked for their assistance throughout the investigation.”
The Lake Macdonald man was now expected to appear before Brisbane Magistrates Court on 5 February, a police spokesperson said.
