A man wanted by police over an alleged cold case murder in Queensland has been arrested in Sydney after a national manhunt.
Keith Lees, 72, was taken into custody at a property on Kenthurst Road in Dural yesterday morning over an arrest warrant issued in July 2023 in relation to the alleged murder of Meaghan Louise Rose on the Sunshine Coast in 1997.
The 25-year-old’s body was found at the base of Point Cartwright cliffs in Mooloolaba on the morning of July 18, 1997.
Her white Suzuki Cino hatchback was found in the carpark along with a wine cask and glass nearby.
Investigators initially declared there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death but police later re-opened the case in 2009.
Queensland Police then announced a $500,000 reward in June 2023 for information that led to her killer’s arrest and conviction.
Police confirmed in 2023 they were approaching all original witnesses.
Queensland detectives had travelled to Victoria to speak to Lees in late June that year but were unable to find him.
His car was found the following day and on June 27, he was seen at a Waurn Ponds shopping centre and then leaving a Shepparton train station.
After his arrest yesterday Lees was taken to Hornsby Police Station yesterday where he was charged with the warrant, assaulting a police officer in execution of duty without aggravated bodily harm, dealing with identity information to commit an indictable offence and possessing identity information to commit an indictable offence.
Police will also allege Lees tried to bite an officer while he was in custody.
He was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Local Court today.
NSW Police said it was understood the Queensland Police Service will apply for his extradition.
Rose had left her tight-knit family behind in Victoria to move to Queensland for a romance with then-44-year-old Lees.
Rose’s sister Fiona Ratcliffe previously appealed to the public for information into her sister’s death.
“My sister Meaghan was a fun-loving, bright, young woman,” Ratcliffe said.
“Meaghan and I shared many memories over the years, including her teaching myself to drive.”
