Police Investigating Body Found In Kew East In Search For Bridget Flack

Victoria Police on Friday evening said that it had found a woman’s body in Melbourne’s Kew East suburb in connection with its investigations into the disappearance of missing woman Bridget Flack. They have not linked it to Bridget yet. Family and friends close to Bridget requested privacy as they dealt with the news.

Melbourne’s LGBTQI community had rallied to organise a massive volunteer-led search effort to locate 28-year-old Bridget who went missing on November 30. She was last seen at Lygon Street in Carlton before she told a friend that she was going for a walk at Yarra Bend Park.

CCTV footage, which emerged on Thursday, from Dan Murphy’s on Smith Street, Collingwood later showed Flack was there before she disappeared.

In a statement Victoria Police said that a body was found at around 5.05pm in bushland at Willsmere-Chandler Park. The Police said that while the body was yet to be formally identified, it was “investigating if it was linked to the reported disappearance of missing woman Bridget Flack.

“The exact circumstances regarding the woman’s death are yet to be determined and the investigation remains ongoing,” the Police said, adding that as of now they were not treating it as a suspicious death.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner.

As the news spread, many on social media sent their thoughts and messages of support to her family and the larger LGBTQI community.

“Bridget was a queer trans-woman, she was raver DJ with a really unique taste and fun style of mixing music,” said one local resident. Another post on social media reflected about the “massive search effort over the past days” and said it had “been a demonstration of love and determination by a community who are now very much in need of support and understanding.”

Friends who knew Bridget shared her writings that she had published on her blog Broken Machines. The last blog was posted on November 21, 2020.

The local LGBTQI community had come together to organise the search to trace Bridget. Hundreds of volunteers had formed search teams, posted flyers in neighbourhoods and spread the word on social media. A Facebook group set up for the purpose of locating Bridget had over 6,000 members.

If you feel distressed reading the story, you can reach out to support services.

For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14

For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.