22 Oct 2015

Missing woman's son appears in Australian court

5:37 pm on 22 October 2015

The son of missing New Zealand woman Linda Sidon, who lived on the Gold Coast, has faced Southport Magistrates Court over her alleged murder and has been remanded in custody.

Linda Sidon

Linda Sidon Photo: AAP

Daniel Heazlewood, 28, was arrested in Brisbane yesterday and driven to the Gold Coast where he was charged over his mother's death overnight.

Ms Sidon, 46, who was originally from New Zealand, disappeared in June 2009 after a medical appointment.

She was not reported missing for another 18 months after her New Zealand-based father raised concerns.

Police initially suspected Ms Sidon, who suffered numerous medical conditions including depression, anxiety and anorexia, had committed suicide.

During a media conference in August, police said Heazlewood was a "person of interest" and officers and SES volunteers searched bushland in the Numinbah Valley in the Gold Coast hinterland looking for a body.

On Monday and Tuesday, forensic officers examined the housing commission unit Ms Sidon lived in with her son at Ashmore on the Gold Coast.

Police said they were looking for traces of blood but would not disclose what they found inside the home.

Heazlewood appeared briefly in Southport Magistrates Court this morning where he was remanded in custody to reappear on 10 November.

- ABC