Two people have been charged over the alleged murder of a 20-year-old man whose badly burnt body was found in a park in Sydney's south-west last year.
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Homicide Squad detectives arrested a man and woman, both aged 24, in Sydney on Wednesday morning. The male has been charged with the murder of Dane McNeill, from Narellan, the woman has been charged with conspiracy to murder and accessory after the fact.
Council workers found Mr McNeill's badly burnt remains in Lambeth Reserve in Picnic Point in the early hours of July 21. His body was so charred it took police two days to identify him.
Police said his body was found about 50 metres from a locked entrance gate to the reserve, leading police to believe that it had been carried over the fence during the night and dumped.
At the time, Mr McNeill's family said they feared the former Casula High School student had become caught up in the world of selling drugs.
"If you think you can play in this world, you need to think again," his grandmother Elsie McNeill said at the time.
"You can't even imagine how wicked these people are."
In fact, on the day his body was found, he was due to be sentenced for a string of drug convictions including drug supply, drug possession, possessing equipment for administering drugs and having a knife in a public place.
Two days before he was reported missing, Mr McNeill posted online: "I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."
Detectives will allege in court that Mr McNeill was assaulted at an address in Heckenberg on July 18 - the day his family reported him missing - and that he was kept captive there overnight.
Detectives will also allege that he was then taken to an address in Cartwright, where he was assaulted, stabbed and died.
Police will allege Mr McNeill's body was then taken to Lambeth Reserve, where it was set alight.
Homicide Squad investigators and local police established Strike Force Halfrey to investigate Mr McNeill's death, and at 8am on Wednesday arrested a 24-year-old man in Bankstown. He was taken to Bankstown police station.
At 10am on Wednesday, a 24-year-old woman was arrested at Liverpool. She was taken to Liverpool police station.
Both are now on charges relating to Mr McNeill's murder.
