Cervantes mystery: Police confident they know the identity of the person found in burnt-out Mitsubishi Pajero

Police are confident they know the identity of the person whose remains were found in a burnt out car near Cervantes this week. But at this stage, that person’s name, age and even their gender is being kept a closely guarded secret by homicide squad detectives. The West Australian understands police have made enormous progress in recent days as they continue to investigate the human remains found in the burnt-out 1997 Mitsubishi Pajero. The tragic discovery was made in the early hours of Tuesday, shortly after police and firefighters arrived on the scene along Indian Ocean Drive in Nambung — 200km northwest of Perth. On Friday, police told The West Australian they had “no further comment to make at this time” about the ongoing inquiry. But The West understands detectives are now confident they know who the remains in the Pajero belong to. The West can also reveal a post-mortem is set to be carried out on the human remains as early as Monday. DNA testing on the remains — which will give police 100 per cent certainty about the person’s identity — is expected to be carried out soon after that. Police will also be hoping the post-mortem will give officers vital clues as to how and when the person died. It comes as a 19-year-old man faced court on Thursday charged in connection to another bizarre incident that unfolded near Cervantes early on Tuesday morning. Benjamin Jack McLaughlin, of Hamilton Hill, faced Perth Magistrates Court charged with casting away ships, assaulting a public officer, assault a person aiding a public officer and obstructing police officers. Mr McLaughlin was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday after he was found “acting erratically” on a boat drifting out to sea near the Cervantes jetty, several hours after the Pajero was found burnt out. At around the same time that Mr McLaughlin was plucked from the water, a red SUV was also found submerged near the jetty. That car has since been recovered from the water and police say nothing suspicious was found inside it. At this stage, Mr McLaughlin is facing no charges in connection to the human remains in the burnt-out Pajero. Mr McLaughlin did not appear in Perth Magistrates Court in person on Thursday morning and was instead connected via an audio link from the Perth watch house. His lawyer, Paul Holmes, said his client’s alleged offending was a “one-off event”, stressing he had no prior criminal record. Mr McLaughlin was granted bail but is not allowed to leave WA or go within 50km of Cervantes and must report to police twice a week. He’s also been banned from visiting any marina or harbour. He is due to appear in court again on November 16. On Wednesday police said they believed the Pajero was involved in a minor crash before it came to be on fire. Police are still trying to determine whether the burnt out Pajero and the red car being found in the water in Cervantes hours later are connected. Detective Senior Sergeant Greg McDonald said it was vital members of the public phoned police and told them if they saw the 1997 Pajero between 9pm on Monday night and in the early hours of Tuesday morning. “We are aware that the vehicle was in the Hamilton Hill area around about 9pm (on Monday night), it travelled via Canning Highway, Mitchell Freeway and Indian Ocean Drive and arrived at the location in Cervantes where it was subsequently on fire,” Detective Senior Sergeant McDonald said. “It is likely it would have attracted attention because we believe the vehicle was travelling at speed during the course of that trip. “The movements of that vehicle are of great interest to us … it forms a very important part of our investigation.” Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000