A Wagga Wagga teenager has been charged with the murder of chef Allecha Suzette Boyd, 89 days after she disappeared from the NSW Riverina area.
Ms Boyd, 27, was last seen in the township of Coolamon, north of Wagga Wagga, on the afternoon of Thursday, August 10.
Homicide police formed a strike force in September after suspecting that she may have met with foul play.
On Tuesday evening, they arrested a 19-year-old man at a home in Gurwood Street, Wagga Wagga. A shortened rifle, believed to be the weapon used to kill Ms Boyd, was seized at the home.
The man has been charged with murder, possessing an unauthorised prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a permit, not keeping a prohibited firearm safe and breach of bail.
He will appear in Wagga Wagga Local Court on Wednesday.
It's unclear if Ms Boyd knew the teenager. Her body has not been located despite searches in bushland surrounding Coolamon.
"Investigations are continuing with detectives working to locate Allecha's body," NSW Police said in a statement.
The case took another twist on Wednesday, with police backtracking on their earlier belief that she was seen in a supermarket in Wagga Wagga - just metres from the home where the teenager was arrested - on the day she disappeared.
Police initially released CCTV images of a woman believed to be Ms Boyd in a supermarket on Gurwood Street.
Police confirmed on Wednesday that the image is not of Ms Boyd and they don't believe she was in the supermarket.
It has since emerged that the CCTV image is of another woman in the supermarket on the day Ms Boyd disappeared. The woman has come forward to investigators.
Police said Ms Boyd travelled as a passenger in a green Subaru from the supermarket to Coolamon.
The driver of the car was "known to police" but officers would not elaborate at the time.
Ms Boyd, a cousin of current Collingwood and former Greater Western Sydney Giants AFL player Will Hoskin-Elliott, lived in South Australia and Victoria before settling in Wagga Wagga two years ago.
She had recently started working as a chef at the Farmers Home Hotel, and was living in various friends' houses. Most of her extended family are based in Victoria.
She was reported missing on August 22 with her disappearance described as out of character. Her bank accounts, phone and social media accounts had not been touched since then, police said last month.
Following news of the breakthrough on Tuesday, a post in a Facebook page set up to help find Ms Boyd said her family were "trying to grieve at this moment".
"With all due respect please keep our family in mind and not bombard everyone with messages as we are all trying to grieve at this moment," the post said. "Sincerely from leash's mother sisters, brother and family."
One of Ms Boyd's relatives said she was "overwhelmed" by the news.
On September 28, what would have been Ms Boyd's 28th birthday, her two sisters offered a reward of $100,000 of their own money for information leading to her return.
"We are going crazy not knowing," sister Rhiannon Boyd told the Daily Advertiser at the time. "Mum's not coping. We're all doing it really tough."
"It's her birthday and we just need to know. If she's gone, let us find her so we can bury her."
On Wednesday, after news of the arrest, Rhiannon Boyd changed her profile picture on Facebook to a photo of her sister.
"Hugs to you hunny," a friend posted.
On a Facebook page set up to help find Ms Boyd, friends posted messages of shock and sadness.
"My childhood friend you will be missed," one posted. "I wish I got to see you again I just don't want to believe this at all. R.i.p beautiful soul."
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