FORMER TV presenter Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies disappeared without a trace on February 19, 2024.
Police officer Beau Lamarre has been charged with two counts of murder after handing himself in to cops shortly after 10.30am on Friday, February 23.
Who is Australian TV presenter Jesse Baird?
According to his LinkedIn, Baird went to Loyola College between 2010 and 2015.
He received his Bachelor of Education degree in Drama and Media from La Trobe University in 2019.
The 26-year-old worked at Network 10 for over seven years.
Network 10, often referred to as Channel 10 or 10 Network, is a subsidiary of Paramount Global and one of five national free-to-air networks.
It’s the fourth-rated TV network and primary channel in Australia, behind Seven Network, Nine Network, and ABC TV, and ahead of SBS.
Baird began his Network 10 career in December 2018, where he served as a TV Host for Gamify, a children’s action-adventure reality TV program.
From January 2017 to March 2021, Baird served as a TV Presenter and Producer of Totally Wild, another children’s TV series.
The show had a current affairs program format and regularly ran stories on topics like science, technology, the environment, and action sports.
From October 2020 to October 2022, Baird was a QLD Reporter for Studio 10.
Queensland, or QLD, is a state in north-eastern Australia, and the second-largest and third-most populous of the Australian states.
Baird’s most recent role at Network 10 was as a Producer and Presenter in Sydney, New South Wales, where he worked full-time from March 2021 to January 2024.
In his LinkedIn biography, Baird described himself as a “professional and driven television Presenter and Producer who enjoys working with large teams of people, writing and presenting creative and engaging content, and learning about new places and people.”
He also highlighted his years of experience working in the “professional media industry” and claimed to “have a demonstrated history of presenting, writing, segment producing and field producing.”
Baird is also relatively active on social media, posting a series of photos and videos on his Instagram.
While he takes a considerable amount of selfies, he also shares snaps of his friends and partner, Luke Davies, 29.
The couple recently attended Pink’s Summer Carnival tour, captioning the post: “Pink > Taylor,” alongside a nail polish emoji.
According to his Instagram, Baird enjoys going to concerts and music festivals, traveling, hiking, and volunteering.
He regularly posts behind-the-scenes content about his TV career, along with snaps of him hanging out with friends and enjoying the great outdoors.
When did Jesse Baird go missing?
Jesse Baird was last seen at his terrace home at Brown Street in Paddington on Monday, February 19, 2024.
His partner, Luke Davies, was not at his home in nearby Waterloo but is believed to have also been in the Paddington area on Monday.
Neither Baird’s or Davies’ families have been able to contact either of them, and neither of them have shown up at work.
Both men have been declared missing persons.
On Thursday, February 22, Detective Superintendent Jodi Radmore told reporters that witnesses “talked about some shouting on Monday earlier in the morning,” near Baird’s home.
While it wasn’t reported to police at the time, these witnesses did come forward on Wednesday, February 21.
That same Wednesday, at around 11 am, police uncovered blood-stained possessions belonging to both Baird and Davies in a “skip bin,” a large metal trash container, in Cronulla, about 30 kilometers away from Baird’s home.
These included a phone, credit cards, a wallet, a set of keys, and an $8,000 watch.
At around 1 pm, officers found blood inside Baird’s home and officially declared it a crime scene.
Initial reports indicate a possible struggle, citing that some furniture had been moved around the home.
Detective Radmore also suggested that one of the two men was still actively using social media on Tuesday evening, but wouldn’t confirm their identity due to the ongoing investigation.
The Daily Mail reported that Baird’s WhatsApp appeared to be active that same night.
Two vehicles were seized from Baird’s property, along with a third vehicle from another location.
It is unclear whether these vehicles belong to Baird, Davies, or a third party – who police say is now a person of interest in the case.
2
What has been said about Jesse Baird’s disappearance?
On Thursday, February 22, 2024, police indicated that they had been trying to locate a third person, a possible person of interest, who would be able to assist with the investigation.
9 News reported that Baird had told friends he was being stalked by a police officer.
On Friday, NSW Police Officer Beau Lamarre, 28, who is believed to be Jesse Baird’s ex-boyfriend, handed himself into police, according to News.com.
Lamarre joined the police force in 2019. Before joining the force, he was a celebrity blogger.
He was even seen last week snapping a selfie with Kourtney Kardashian and her husband, Travis Barker, as reported by The Daily Mail.
Lamarre notably deleted his Instagram in the last few days and has been on sick leave from his work.
“Charges have been submitted for two counts of murder,” Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty told reporters on Friday.
“He will be formally refused bail by police and expected to face court at some stage, whether it is today or tomorrow.”
Police reportedly executed a late-night search warrant on a home on Waite Avenue in Balmain.
While they refused to tell reporters who the home belonged to, public property records show that the home was purchased nearly six years ago under the name Lamarre.
Totally Wild’s Ranger Stacey Thompson, Baird’s former co-worker, revealed that she was “stunned” at the news.
“I’m shocked actually,” she told Daily Mail Australia. “I worked with Jesse for a few years and we sat across from one another in the TW office.”
“He was a lovely work friend, always professional and keen to learn.”
“I prefer not to comment further at this time, until more details come to light,” she added.
Qantas, the airline Davies worked for, said: “Our thoughts are with family, friends, and colleagues of our crew member at this very difficult time,” as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Detective Radmore has requested that anyone with any information about the men come forward.
“Our primary lines of inquiry currently are in regards to the whereabouts of Jesse and Luke, so if anyone knows where they are, please contact us,” she said, as reported by SBS News.
