Dezi Freeman: NSW woman arrested as detectives probe cop killer’s movements after fleeing Porepunkah home

A 58-year-old woman has been arrested by detectives investigating cop killer Dezi Freeman’s time on the run.

The NSW woman was taken into custody in Bairnsdale, Victoria on Friday morning as authorities look into whether Freeman had help steering clear of police for months.

“The woman will now be interviewed by police,” authorities said.

“The investigation remains ongoing and as such, we are not in a position to provide further details at this time.”

Bairnsdale is about 3.5 hours south of Porepunkah, where Freeman, 56, had lived.

The sovereign citizen shot and killed Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, and injured a third officer, when they arrived at his home in August, 2025.

He then fled, sparking a major, seven-month manhunt.

Freeman evaded capture for more than 200 days but was eventually tracked down to a property in regional Thologolong, near the NSW and Victorian border in March.

He was found hiding in a shipping container-style structure and shot dead by police following a three-hour stand off.

Earlier this year, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said officers gave Freeman the opportunity to surrender.

“There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully, which he did not,” Bush said.

The commissioner said Freeman would have faced significant challenges reaching and surviving at the remote location without help, saying “it would be very difficult” for the fugitive to get there “without assistance”.

A number of properties have been raided across Victoria and NSW as part of Taskforce Summit, with police seizing a range of electronic devices.

A Victorian coroner is investigating the deaths of the two officers.