By Eric King-
A man has been charged with murder after a body was discovered near the jungle camp used for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
The body of the 56-year-old male was found by dog walkers on November 22 at Jack Evans Boat Harbour Park in Tweed Heads, New South Wales (NSW), which is located about an hour away from the show’s Australian jungle location.
The victim has not yet been identified but is believed to have been homeless and sleeping rough in Tweed Heads. His body was found in his sleeping bag .The body of the 56-year-old male was found by dog walkers on November 22 at Jack Evans Boat Harbour Park in Tweed Heads, New South Wales (NSW)- about an hour away from the show’s Australian jungle location.
Police launched a manhunt after the discovery and the I’m A Celeb camp was put on lockdown to protect the contestants, which include Caitlyn Jenner, James Haskell, Kate Garraway and Roman Kemp.
Five days after finding the body, NSW detectives arrested 34-year-old Kevin James Pettiford, who is also homeless, after catching him on a Sydney-bound bus at Tweed Heads on the NSW side of the interstate border. Pettiford was taken to Tweed Heads Police Station and charged with murder in relation to the death of the 56-year-old before appearing at Tweed Heads Local Court on November 28. He did not apply for bail. The I’m A Celeb camp was put on lockdown to protect the contestants, which include Caitlyn Jenner, James Haskell, Kate Garraway and Roman Kemp.
Springbrook National Park on Australia’s Gold Coast (Image: NIGEL WRIGHT. SYDNEY. AUSTRALIA
He added:
It is a particularly brutal and violent attack on someone who is essentially helpless.
Following the arrest, Queensland Police revealed Pettiford is also wanted over a second alleged murder involving another homeless man named David Collin on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.