A former reality TV star has been charged with murder in Australia after her partner was discovered dismembered, and police say they are still looking for the victim’s head.
According to a statement from South Australia Police, Beauty and the Geek Australia alum Tamika Chesser, 34, has been charged with murder after 39-year-old Julian Story was discovered dismembered — and without his head — in their flat in Port Lincoln, South Australia, just before 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 19.
According to police, authorities were called to the flat after receiving a report of a minor fire.
“It was a confronting scene for police and emergency services personnel as Julian’s body had been dismembered,” the detectives wrote. “Julian’s head had been removed during the dismemberment and, despite extensive searches, has not yet been located.”
Police believe Story was killed around midnight on Tuesday, June 17.
According to police documents submitted to the court and obtained by Australian broadcaster ABC, when officers arrived at the scene, they discovered “deceased remains which were severely burnt and disfigured.”
A witness told police that “he observed smoke coming from [the flat], he saw the accused and asked what she was doing, the accused said ‘nothing’ and then took her dogs for a walk and locked the front door,” according to court documents.
“The witness was concerned that smoke or fire would spread … [so he] filled a bucket with water and entered unit 3 through the rear door,” according to the police report. “He discovered a smouldering bundle of clothing rags and debris in the unit’s bathroom.” The witness doused this with another bucket of water.”
When police arrived, “the accused was seated in a garden chair in the rear yard adjacent to unit 3 in a catatonic and unresponsive state,” according to the documents.
Authorities have released CCTV footage of Chesser to show what she was wearing at the time of Story’s death, and they are now asking the public for assistance in tracking the former reality star’s movements on the night of the murder by reviewing home security footage.
On Friday, June 27, Detective Superintendent Darren Fielke told reporters that Chesser “doesn’t really use a vehicle” and that he hoped the public could help track her movements, according to Sky News.
Fielke also stated that no motive is currently known, and that Chesser was compliant at the time of her arrest.
“We know that they were in a relationship together … it’s something that’s being explored, that domestic relationship,” he told reporters.
According to ABC, Chesser appeared in court on June 27 via remote video from a mental health facility where she is being held on a detention order. A judge denied her bail, and she is scheduled to appear in court again in December.
Chesser appeared in the 2010 season of Beauty and the Geek, an Australian reality TV show in which attractive women are paired with intelligent men to complete a variety of challenges while avoiding elimination in order to win a cash prize. Ashton Kutcher hosted the original American series.
Chesser was runner-up on her season of the reality show and has worked as a model for Playboy, Ralph, and FHM.
Detective Fielke told reporters that the most important aspect of the investigation at this time is locating Story’s head.
“Recovering Julian’s head to return it to his family so they can have a peaceful outcome, have a funeral, and lay him to rest, is a really important aspect for us,” Fielke told CBS News on Tuesday.
“We are navigating an unimaginable loss, and your care has brought comfort amidst the chaos,” Story’s family said in a statement. “We are also deeply grateful to our family and friends and this extraordinary community whose kindness and support have helped carry us through.”