By Callum Godde, (additional reporting Sunbury Life)
Missing Sunbury man Joshua Bishop was murdered within hours of his last sighting, documents allege, as his accused killer faced court for the first time.
Brandon Watts, 28, briefly appeared in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday 30 June after being charged with the murder of the 23-year-old.
Watts did not apply for bail and is expected to next face court on Monday 22 September.
A charge sheet alleges the Sunbury man murdered Mr Bishop between May 27 and 28, shortly after he went missing.
Mr Bishop was last seen by his housemate on Lalor Cr, Sunbury, at about 9.30pm on Tuesday 27 May.
He was reported missing by his mother on Thursday 29 May, after he failed to access his phone or bank accounts.
Weeks after his disappearance, Mr Bishop’s parents made an emotional plea for their son’s return, urging anyone with information to come forward.
They described the disappearance as completely out of character.
After previous extensive searches, police raided a home in the quiet suburb of Westmeadows on Saturday 28 June where they made the grim discovery.
The Erinbank Cr townhouse is near where his phone last pinged around Broadmeadows Valley Park.
The remains are yet to be formally identified but a close friend who organised a fundraiser on behalf of the family acknowledged they belonged to Mr Bishop.
Missing persons detectives earlier declared Mr Bishop had no criminal links and his connection to the accused was not revealed in court.
Family fundraiser
A GoFundMe page, started last week, has been updated with the latest developments
“With the heaviest hearts, we share that our beloved Joshua Bishop has been found – but sadly, not in the way we had hoped. We are devastated and struggling to find the words.
“Your incredible support, generosity, and compassion throughout this heartbreaking time have meant more than we can express. The Bishop family has felt truly surrounded by love through every moment of this journey.”
At the time of writing, 85 people have donated more than $20,000 to the family, with one anonymous person gifting $10,000.
Donations will go toward helping the family with any costs during this time of mourning, states the page.
See our previous reports on Joshua Bishop here.
