Lake Cargelligo shooting: Is this where wanted man Julian Ingram is hiding? Police swarm rural property in the manhunt for alleged triple murderer – and the landowner’s surprising response
Special operations group police officers swarmed a remote rural station on Saturday as the manhunt for alleged triple murderer Julian Ingram stretched into a third day.
A convoy that included a Bearcat containing heavily armed tactical officers, SUVs carrying detectives, and two medical response units were seen entering a private property north-west of Lake Cargelligo, in NSW’s central west.
Bullet casings could be seen at the entrance to the sprawling property, and the padlock securing the gate had been cut open, but resecured with a zip-tie.
When Daily Mail contacted the custodian of the station, he shared a startling revelation – not only did he know the accused killer well, but that he suspected Ingram could be hiding on one of the properties in the area.
Ingram, 37, allegedly gunned down his heavily pregnant ex Sophie Quinn, 25, in a black Suzuki hatchback, alongside her new boyfriend John Harris, 32, in Lake Cargelligo, 600km west of Sydney on Thursday afternoon.
He then allegedly went to another residence and killed her aunt, Nerida Quinn, 50, and seriously injured Nerida’s 19‑year‑old neighbour, Kaleb MacQueen.
Ingram has been on the run since the alleged murders, with about 100 police officers searching for him in the surrounding areas.
Ms Quinn, who separated from Ingram last year and was in a relationship with Mr Harris at the time of her death, was due to give birth to a baby boy in March.
Pregnant Sophie Quinn was shot dead alongside her boyfriend on Thursday in NSW
Her ex-partner Julian Ingram is accused of the murders, and is on the run
A convoy of police and medical units entered this property on Saturday morning
A bullet casing was seen on the public side of the gated property
During a press conference at 8am on Saturday, police admitted Ingram – a longtime gardener for the local council and a pig-hunter – was skilled in bushcraft and could survive in the outback, despite blistering 40C-plus temperatures encroaching on western NSW.
The man overseeing the rural station, which was visited by police forces at 10.30am on Saturday, agreed and shared startling new details with Daily Mail.
‘(Ingram) used to work as a brush cutter for years and years, he is very familiar with those parts,’ the source, who lives in another town, said.
‘There are brush-cutter camps out there, with food in the camps, and he would be aware of that.’
The source was not aware that police had accessed the property, but said he had been told the padlock had been ‘interfered with’.
‘There are always pig shooters cutting your lock and going into your properties on long weekends looking for pigs,’ they said.
The source said Ingram worked together with his father as a brush-cutter – harvesting bush for fencing – around five to 10 years ago.
The source, who has known Ingram for several years, said he also suspects the wanted fugitive – who police said is armed with at least one gun – ‘could also have shot himself or be halfway to South Australia by now’.
The property’s custodian said Ingram used to work in the area as a brush cutter
Heavily armed special operations police were on the scene in Lake Cargelligo
A 100-strong police force is present in the region as they hunt Ingram down
A tactical Bearcat has been an ominous presence on the roads
An aerial view of the area police appeared to swarm on Saturday morning
Ingram worked in the region as a brush-cutter with his father many years ago
Still, on Saturday evening police appeared to remain focused on the area north-west of Lake Congelligo.
Two vehicles with uniformed police wearing gun-vests, along with plainclothes detectives, were seen speeding along rutted, red-dust roads near the Round Hill Nature Reserve around 4.30pm.
At 5.30pm, a PolAir helicopter was flying in an apparent search pattern in the same area, before turning its attention to the skies above Euabalong West.
Ingram is described as between 165cm and 170cm tall, with a medium build, short dark hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen driving a Ford Ranger utility with NSW registration DM-07-GZ, which has council signage, a metal tray back, high-visibility side markings and an emergency light bar on the roof.
When cops were at the home of the alleged shooter, The Daily Telegraph reported a group of young men appeared to be taking various items from the house.
They told the publication they were ‘collecting debts’.
Cathy Quin, the mother of Sophie and sister of Nerida, commented on a social media post about the report saying: ‘They can take whatever they want.’
Kaleb Macqueen, 19, is the sole survivor of the horrendous shooting
Sophie’s aunt Nerida Quinn, pictured with her daughter, was gunned down
Sophie’s boyfriend John Harris also lost his life
Soaring temperatures have hit NSW’s west as the search intensifies
It comes after a Daily Mail exclusive interview with Sandra Little, the grandmother of the sole survivor of Ingram’s alleged rampage, Kaleb MacQueen.
She revealed that he was innocently caught in the crossfire and had been across the road working on a vehicle with Ms Quinn’s son.
Ms Little said the 19-year-old ran for his life, and was hit in the wrist by a bullet. He then rang Ms Little and said, ‘Grandma, I’ve been shot!’
Ms Little alleged that Ingram was armed with a shotgun, and that Mr MacQueen had described seeing blue shell casings.
Fears continue around the town that Ingram, allegedly armed and very dangerous, may return.
‘I’ve been sleeping with all my windows closed,’ Ms Little admitted.
On Saturday morning, police revealed they were widening their search for Ingram, and refused to rule out that he may be receiving help.
‘We attended two premises in Euabalong last night and unfortunately, were unable to locate the offender,’ NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland told reporters.
A sniffer dog was pictured at the scene on Thursday
Indigenous police liaison officers attended an address linked with Sophie on Friday
‘At this point, our area is widening, and we are looking at other locations in the broader districts from information supplied to police.’
Police haven’t ruled out the theory that Ingram could be receiving assistance to remain on the run.
‘That’s one of the avenues of our investigation,’ Assistant Commissioner Holland said.
‘As we said before, Mr Ingram has worked in the area for a long time.
‘He was known to a lot of people in the area, and he’s well known among the community.
‘It is possible he is seeking help from people he knows, and we’re making contact with known associates, trying to cut down those possibilities.
‘But I can’t confirm whether he has access to anyone else, but there is the possibility that people are assisting him to obviously avoid police apprehension.’
He added that the locals have been ‘fantastic’ in their assistance with ongoing police investigations.
It’s understood Sophie was behind the wheel of her Suzuki Swift when she was shot
Neighbours have been locked inside their homes while Ingram remains on the run
‘We’ve got multiple lines of inquiry coming through,’ Assistant Commissioner Holland said.
On Saturday, police released photos of the vehicle Ingram was last seen driving but haven’t ruled out the possibility that Ingram may have since switched vehicles.
Anyone who sees Ingram is urged not to approach him and to contact triple zero immediately.
It comes after it was revealed that Ingram appeared at Lake Cargelligo Local Court on December 3 over allegations he stalked, intimidated and assaulted Ms Quinn and damaged her property.
Court records, obtained by the Daily Mail, show he pleaded not guilty and was granted bail on the condition that he report to Lake Cargelligo Police Station every day and not go within 100m of her home or workplace.
Records also show Ingram was a known domestic violence offender at the time, having pleaded guilty in 2021 to assaulting another woman in Griffith.
When a reporter asked Commissioner Holland during a press conference on Friday why Ingram was granted bail, he replied: ‘A risk assessment would have been done at the time.’
‘At that time, he had not committed a violent offence in the last five years and, therefore, deemed fit,’ Assistant Commissioner Holland said.
‘Where we can, we obviously grant people bail. We don’t want to keep them in custody. With strict bail conditions and AVO in place, it’s deemed suitable.’
