A body found in a “decomposed state” next to an abandoned ute 50km north-west of Lake Cargelligo is believed to be Julian Ingram, 37, the gunman suspected of killing his pregnant former partner, her new boyfriend, and her aunt in remote New South Wales. Police had been hunting Ingram since January, when he allegedly shot Sophie Quinn, her partner John Harris, 32, and her aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, in Lake Cargelligo, about 450km west of Sydney. Quinn was seven months pregnant with a boy her family planned to name Troy. Ingram was on bail at the time for alleged domestic violence offences against Quinn.
NSW police were alerted to an abandoned Ford Ranger ute with council signage at Round Hill nature reserve on Monday. “Next to this vehicle, police have also located a male body in a very decomposed state and next to this body is a firearm,” assistant commissioner Andrew Holland said. “At this point, police believe that the person laying next to the vehicle could be Julian Ingram.” The body has not been formally identified and cause of death is unknown, but Holland noted it “appears to have been there for some time.”
For four months, hundreds of police scoured the area, covering 60,000 acres with another 600,000 to go, and offered a $250,000 reward. “It’s a relief for them to find this body,” Holland said. “But the main thing is, as it brings closure to this investigation, it brings closure to the people of Lake Cargelligo.” The investigation would have continued until Ingram was found, he added.
Ingram had not been seen since 22 January, when he fled town after allegedly shooting Quinn and Harris from his ute as they sat in a car, then killing Nerida Quinn. He never held a gun licence; police are investigating how he obtained the weapon(s). It’s not yet known if the firearm found with his body is the same one used in the killings.
Police have faced scrutiny for granting Ingram bail in November for allegedly assaulting Quinn, despite a risk assessment finding he did not pose an unacceptable risk. He was charged with stalking and harassment, common assault, and property damage, and pleaded not guilty. Court documents revealed a ten-year-old threat to a former partner about having “a gun and a hole” for her new man, and a 2022 conviction for grabbing a family member by the throat. Since 2014, six AVOs had been issued against him relating to five different people. Holland said in January there was no evidence Ingram was stalking Quinn before the shooting, and that he had not breached any orders in five years.