Dezi Freeman: Wife Mali living in fear as her fugitive husband, alleged cop killer, remains at large

Mali Freeman, wife of alleged cop killer Dezi Freeman, has reportedly become a recluse, “living in fear”, as a manhunt and recovery mission for her husband, dead or alive, continues.

Freeman, now one of Australia’s most infamous and notorious fugitives, allegedly opened fire on 10 Victoria Police officers on August 26, after they attempted to serve a warrant over historic sexual assault claims.

As police attempted to confront Freeman, the self-described sovereign citizen allegedly used a gun from within his arsenal of weaponry to shoot officers.

The alleged shooting by Freeman killed Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, 34, and also seriously wounding of a third officer.

Ms Freeman, 42, who is not accused of playing a role in the alleged murders, ran from her Porepunkah home as Freeman allegedly opened fire.

The fugitive was spotted in a rare public outing last week after Victoria Police dropped a bombshell update, stating they were conducting operations focused on “identifying and locating evidence or the body of Freeman”.

When stopped by a reporter, Ms Freeman told the Daily Mail she had “no comment”, adding that she needed to get her baby home.

The outlet reported that friends of Ms Freeman say the fugitive’s wife is now “a broken woman living in fear”.

“She has no idea if her husband, the father of her children, is dead or alive.

“She has no idea when this nightmare will end or if it ever will.

“She became a solo parent overnight and she also lost her home in the process.”

Ms Freeman is understood to be living at a new address, which is located near the crime scene, her former home which she shared with Freeman, where the shootout took place.

Ms Freeman, who has not been charged, is reportedly living in fear of arrest on confrontation over her husband and his alleged murders.

“She is a devoted mother and wants to protect her children, but she is scared of how the wider community sees her,” a family acquaintance said according to the outlet.

“She is scared someone will confront her about Dezi.”

It is understood that Freeman’s oldest son has returned to work to earn money to support Ms Freeman and the family.

Freeman has not been seen since the fatal shootout, with a $1 million reward - the largest ever offered in Victoria - in place for information that leads to the alleged cop killer’s arrest.

Where is Dezi Freeman?

Victoria Police have not found Freeman, or his body, since the fatal shootout in Porepunkah in August.

The manhunt for the alleged cop killer, alive or dead, has now lasted 104 days.

The search has heavily focused on the dense bushland around Freeman’s former home and the Mount Buffalo National Park.

Air searches and ground searches have so far not found Freeman. Specialists have been brought to analysis the area’s acoustics, investigating a reported single gunshot that was heard in the hours after Freeman’s escape.

Following the death of two Victoria Police officers, a no fly zone was established in the area. Unconfirmed reports claim Freeman’s phone was pinged by a cellphone tower near the Porepunkah airstrip.

A source claims the fugitive has left Victoria.

Recently, a Victorian man spoke out after claiming to see Freeman in South Africa, which authorities say they investigated.

Homicide squad detectives say they have investigated over 1950 pieces of intelligence, including information received from the public.

On Friday, Crime Command Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said the search for Freeman was far from over.

“The devastating loss of Neal and Vadim has struck at the heart of Victoria Police and had an enormous impact on the Porepunkah community,” he said.

“I want to reaffirm to the community that Victoria Police remains committed to doing everything we can – using every available resource and the necessary capabilities – to locate Desmond Freeman.

“We will continue to conduct targeted searches such as this one based on intelligence. We will maintain a presence in the community, and we are determined we will see this to resolution.”

“Once again, I would strongly urge anyone with any information at all to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers.”

Anyone who sees Freeman is advised to phone triple-0 immediately and not approach him.

Anyone with any information on Freeman’s location, or anything the community notices at the Mount Buffalo National Park should be reported to Crime Stoppers Victoria via 1800 333 000.