Charlise Mutten's cause of death revealed
Image: 9News
Detectives have revealed nine-year-old Charlise Mutten died from a gunshot wound. The Homicide Squad boss has called this and "unimaginable and egregious murder".
The young girl was found dead in a plastic barrel on the banks of the Colo River in NSW last week. She was found an hour from where she was last seen in the Blue Mountains.
Her mother's partner Justin Stein, 31, has been charged with her murder.
"The cause of death of Charlise was that she suffered a fatal gunshot wound, and that's how she died," Homicide Squad Commander Danny Doherty said today.
"We're disclosing this for investigative reasons but also just to clear up any ambiguity… this is the (alleged) murder of a nine-year-old girl."
The family of the girl has only recently been told how she died.
"It's important that they know, and it's important that the public know that this is an unimaginable and egregious (alleged) murder of a child," he said.
Police are still searching the Mount Wilson property where Charlise was last seen and the surrounding areas for a gun. Detective Superintendent Doherty said the barrel Charlise was found in is believed to be from the property and police believe there is a "high probability" she died there.
Charlise's mother Kallista Mutten has been reinterviewed and is being treated as a witness. Detective Superintendent Doherty said Ms Mutten was not believed to have been at the property at the time police allege Charlise was murdered.
It comes as new CCTV was released, showing a ute towing a boat at multiple locations across Sydney.
The CCTV footage shows the maroon coloured ute towing a covered boat at three locations on the evening of January 13. Just before 6pm, the ute pulls into a BP gas station at Marsden Park, in Sydney's north-west.
At 7:17 pm the ute and boat are spotted in traffic in Drummoyne, in Sydney's inner west.
Minutes later, close to the Five Dock Bay Boat Ramp near Drummoyne, the ute is captured on a home's private security system.
Police believe the little girl was killed on January 11th or 12th. Charlise was visiting her mother for the school holidays from Queensland, where she lives, at the time of her death.