A new theory published by the Daily Mail that Dezi Freeman may have escaped via the Buckland River prompted police activity along the waterway on Saturday, authorities and witnesses said, as a nationwide manhunt for the self‑declared sovereign citizen entered its third week.
The theory, advanced after reporters located a YouTube account they say belongs to Freeman, notes footage of him paddling rapids on the Buckland River, which runs along the perimeter of his remote property in Porepunkah, about 300 kilometres northeast of Melbourne. Ten officers raided the compound on August 26; Freeman is accused of fatally shooting two officers during a confrontation that followed.
Daily Mail senior reporter Jonica Bray told the paper Freeman is "a very experienced and skilled kayaker" and that a canoe or kayak kept at the riverbank could have given him "a much quicker escape" than attempting to flee through dense bushland into the nearby mountains. Witnesses reported a police helicopter flying over the Buckland River on Saturday morning following publication of the story.
Investigators are also revisiting a site Freeman once described on social media as "Buffalo Creek," a remote rock pool formation high in the slopes of Mount Buffalo that does not appear on standard maps. A single photograph posted to a private Instagram account in 2021, captioned ‘‘My happy place. Buffalo Creek,’’ is the principal piece of evidence suggesting the feature exists, according to the Daily Mail. The outlet quoted a longtime associate of Freeman saying the location was fiercely guarded and that Freeman would not reveal its exact whereabouts.
About 450 police officers and elements of the Australian Defence Force remain involved in the search, which has included more than 100 property searches in surrounding towns, officials and media reports said. Police have received hundreds of tips since announcing a A$1 million reward for information leading to Freeman's arrest, the reports added.
Freeman is accused of killing Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Constable Vadim De Waart‑Hottart, 35, during the August incident. Both officers have been buried, media reports said. Authorities have not confirmed public details about Freeman's whereabouts and have urged anyone with credible information to contact police.
The Daily Mail's online report said its reporters located three videos on a YouTube account they identified as Freeman's, including one filmed in early 2021 that shows him kayaking down the Buckland River. The outlet said Freeman's Facebook page, which contains public posts critical of police and other authorities, contrasts with an Instagram profile restricted to family and close friends where he shared photographs of his children and the natural landscape.
Police have been working with social media companies to seek access to Freeman's accounts and communications, the Daily Mail reported. Authorities have not publicly disclosed whether they have obtained private material from those platforms or whether the searches along the Buckland River were directly triggered by the video found online.
As searches continue across rugged terrain in Victoria, investigators and supporting agencies have focused on remote creeks and mountainous tracks that lie within a short distance of Freeman's isolated compound. Family members and close associates told the Daily Mail that they do not know the exact location of "Buffalo Creek," and that only the solitary photograph posted to Instagram provides any indication of where it might be.
The national manhunt remains fluid. Police and Defence Force personnel continue coordinated search operations while investigators assess incoming tips, digital leads and physical evidence from the Porepunkah raid and surrounding areas. Authorities have reiterated calls for the public to avoid approaching Freeman if sighted and to report information through official channels.