Search for remains of murdered woman Lateesha Nolan begins at Butlers Falls

NSW Police will begin a search on the banks of the Macquarie River south of Dubbo on Tuesday for the remains of murdered Dubbo mother Lateesha Nolan. 

A member of the public discovered a bone in the area last month that has been confirmed as belonging to Ms Nolan. 

Police said a member of the public found the bone at the riverbank in November with forensic testing revealling it was human. Further DNA testing and other analysis confirmed it belonged to the 24-year-old. 

Lateesha disappeared from her Dubbo home in January 2005. In 2012 her cousin, Malcolm Naden, was convicted of her murder after he was arrested following one of the biggest manhunts in NSW history. 

Homicide squad detectives will start a coordinated search of the riverbank near Butlers Falls on Tuesday, with the search expected to take several days. 

The search operation will also involve police from Orana Local Area Command, Western Region Operations Support Group, Forensic Services Group and Volunteer Rescue Association.

Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Mick Willing, said detectives were determined to find Ms Nolan's remains.

"We now know we are looking at the right spot, which is near the 2012 excavation, but changes to the terrain have meant this area was unexposed at that time," he said.

"The loss of a loved one is never easy to deal with, but the grief can be even harder to overcome when you can't lay them to rest.

"For more than a decade investigators have been following every line of inquiry in hope of ending the family's search for answers.

"We hope we will soon be able allow them to properly - and respectfully - say goodbye."

Malcolm Naden became a prime suspect in Lateesha's case after Kristy Scholes was found murdered in his bedroom at his grandparent's house in June 22, 2005.

While Naden admitted to killing Lateesha and Kristy and gave police information on the whereabouts of his cousin's body after his capture in 2012, her remains have never been found and it has tortured the family.

Family and friends of Lateesha established a memorial to the mother-of-four at Sandy Beach in 2015, 10 years after her disappearance. 

During the unveiling of the memorial a letter was read by Detective Senior Constable Sue-Ellen Scott from Lateesha’s mother Joan Nolan. 

"The fourth of January 2005 was the most agonising of my life and the day that changed me forever. Lateesha, losing you through murder was unfair, unjust and unnatural, unexpected and the most painful experience I have had to endure," the letter said.

"The shock left me totally bewildered and the truth and reality that you would never be coming home left me numb inside.

"My heart was forever broken. My daughter, I miss you more than words can say and I mourn everyday for you."