Police are set to conclude their latest week-long search for fugitive Desmond ‘Dezi’ Freeman on Friday, with no confirmation of evidence found.

The search is taking place in a concentrated area of dense bushland in Mount Buffalo National Park after it was revealed a gunshot was heard by a nearby witness in the area some two hours after the fatal shooting occurred on 26 August, 2025.

Taskforce Summit detectives conducted further firearms testing within the search area on Tuesday afternoon in an effort to match the sound of the reported gunshot.

More than 100 police from the Search and Rescue Squad, PORT, Taskforce VIPER, Critical Incident Response Team, Dog Squad, Drone Unit and local police are helping with the search.

Two cadaver dogs from New South Wales and volunteers are also assisting.

The heat has been turned up on the search with the mercury hitting 36 degrees on Thursday at Porepunkah as officers scour through the rugged terrain.

Speaking on Monday, Detective Inspector Adam Tilley said while police remained open to all possibilities, they had strong beliefs Freeman had died within Mount Buffalo.

Det Insp Tilley said police’s strong resolution to find closure in the investigation would not be deterred if their search efforts this week were unable to uncover evidence of Freeman.

The investigation surrounding the deaths of locally stationed policemen Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart continues.

Anyone who sees Freeman should phone triple zero (000) immediately and not approach him.

A reward of up to $1 million remains for information leading to Freeman’s arrest.

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 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au