Victoria Police have arrested Koah Freeman, the eldest son of fugitive Dezi Freeman, charging him with assisting an offender and hindering a police investigation in a major development in one of the state’s most complex cases.

Detective Inspector Sarah Langford of the Homicide Squad confirmed the arrest during a press conference in Wangaratta on Tuesday morning. She said Koah Freeman was taken into custody without incident at his home in Bright following what police described as months of covert monitoring.

“This operation is the result of extensive and careful investigation,” Langford said. “We believe this arrest brings us significantly closer to determining the whereabouts of Dezi Freeman.”

According to police, investigators secretly placed a tracking device on Koah Freeman’s vehicle shortly after his father disappeared in August 2025. Over several weeks, officers observed repeated late-night trips into remote parts of Victoria’s Alpine region. The investigation intensified four days ago when Freeman drove a 13-kilometre route along isolated back roads near Mount Buffalo National Park.

Footage from a rural security camera showed Freeman stopping his vehicle and approaching a dark-coloured utility parked nearby. Enhanced images later revealed distinctive features on the vehicle that matched earlier witness descriptions linked to Dezi Freeman, including roof racks carrying outdoor equipment and a noticeable dent on the passenger side.

While the vehicle was unoccupied at the time, forensic teams recovered fingerprints and biological traces from the door handle and interior. Police say these samples were consistent with material previously collected from Dezi Freeman’s personal belongings during an earlier search of the family property. A discarded water bottle found inside the vehicle also tested positive for Freeman’s DNA profile.

Koah Freeman has not spoken publicly since his arrest. His lawyer released a short statement maintaining his client’s innocence and requesting privacy for the family. Freeman is due to appear in Wangaratta Magistrates Court on Wednesday, where police are expected to oppose bail.

Dezi Freeman, 56, has been the subject of an extensive police operation since August 26, 2025, when officers attempting to execute a warrant at his converted bus residence in Porepunkah were met with gunfire. Two officers lost their lives and a third was seriously injured. Freeman fled into the surrounding bushland, triggering the largest and most costly search effort in Victoria’s history.

Authorities have spent millions of dollars deploying helicopters, drones, search teams, and specialist equipment across Mount Buffalo National Park and nearby regions. Despite repeated operations, no confirmed sighting of Freeman has been made since the day of the incident.

Police have stated they strongly believe Freeman may no longer be alive, possibly due to injury or exposure in the harsh alpine environment. However, speculation has persisted that he could have received assistance or left the area altogether. A $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest remains active.

Members of the Freeman family have been under public and police scrutiny since the incident. Freeman’s wife and younger children were questioned in the days following the event but released without charge. Koah Freeman, who had moved out of the family home about a year earlier, returned to work shortly after the incident and publicly distanced himself from his father’s actions in interviews later that year.

Until now, no family member had faced charges directly connected to allegedly aiding the fugitive.

Police say the arrest has given new direction to the investigation, with renewed focus on areas visited during Koah Freeman’s monitored trips. Digital devices and other items seized during the arrest are now undergoing forensic examination.

As the legal process begins, questions remain unresolved. Investigators are working to determine whether Koah Freeman deliberately provided assistance or whether the events uncovered were coincidental.

For authorities and the families affected by the August 2025 incident, the arrest represents the first significant lead in months. Whether it will finally resolve the mystery surrounding Dezi Freeman’s fate remains to be seen.