Samah Baker: Breakthrough as human remains of missing Sydney woman are found four years after her boyfriend murdered her

  • The body of murdered woman, Samah Baker, located
  • The remains spent over a month under forensic investigation

By FREDDY PAWLE FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: | Updated:

Human remains found in rural grassland have finally been identified and belong to a woman who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in a jealous rage four years ago.

The remains were first discovered off the Hume Highway, around 100m south of the Windellama Road overpass, outside of Goulburn, NSW, at 9am on July 28.

NSW Police confirmed on Thursday the remains belonged to 30-year-old Samah Baker. 

Ms Baker was murdered by her ex-partner James Hachem, 37, on January 4, 2019 after she decided to not spend New Years Eve with him. 

The 30-year-old's family released a heartbreaking statement following news the remains of their loved one had been found. 

The human remains of Samah Baker (pictured), who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in a jealous rage in 2019, have been found off the Hume Highway outside Goulburn.

The human remains of Samah Baker (pictured), who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in a jealous rage in 2019, have been found off the Hume Highway outside Goulburn.

Police confirmed the remains were determined to be Ms Baker's after an examination by NSW Health Pathology.

A crime scene was established in the area surrounding where Ms Baker's remains were found shortly after police were notified.

'Specialist officers including Police Rescue and the Public Order and Riot Squad conducted extensive further searches of the area,' a statement from NSW Police reads.

Police will continue to work alongside the NSW Coroner to determine how Ms Baker died.

Hachem had attempted to defend his charges by proffering a theory that Ms Baker had killed herself.

The jury did not buy the theory after hearing that he had waited outside her apartment in his car and spied on Ms Baker while she was on a date, falling into a jealous rage after he saw the pair kissing in the early hours of January 4.

The couple had broken up and gotten back together numerous times, however Ms Baker had finally moved on, entering a new relationship the month prior to her death.

The court was told the 37-year-old killed Ms Baker inside her apartment at Parramatta, in western Sydney, at about 7am on January 4, 2019.

He had been able to gain entry to her flat after calling her to lie that his parents had been in a car accident. 

Ms Baker's ex-boyfriend, James Hachem, was found guilty of murdering Ms Baker and handed a sentence of 24 years' imprisonment - backdated to his arrest in 2019 - on May 20

Ms Baker's ex-boyfriend, James Hachem, was found guilty of murdering Ms Baker and handed a sentence of 24 years' imprisonment - backdated to his arrest in 2019 - on May 20

Ms Baker's body was found along the Hume Highway just outside of Goulburn, a drive away from her apartment where she was last seen in Parramatta, Western Sydney

Ms Baker's body was found along the Hume Highway just outside of Goulburn, a drive away from her apartment where she was last seen in Parramatta, Western Sydney 

He would then buy numerous items at hardware store, Bunnings, including a double sheet, gloves, cleaning products and a digging trowel before driving to remote areas NSW. 

'Her murder has caused a great loss, the extent and impact of which cannot be conveyed in words,' Justice Robertson Wright said in the NSW Supreme Court during Hachem's sentencing on May 20.

'Ms Baker's death was a great human tragedy, she was a captivating person who made those around her feel whole.

'The qualities of a particular victim may serve as a powerful reminder of the quality of human life itself, and all that is involved in taking it away.'

Hachem will be eligible for parole in March 2037. 

Statement from Ms Baker's family 

On Friday 4 January 2019, Samah was taken away from us in the cruellest way.

In the years that followed, our grief has been compounded by the fact that we have not been able to have a funeral or lay her to rest.

We never got to say goodbye to her or tell her we loved her for the last time.

The news of her remains being discovered four and a half years later isn't a neat resolution, but it does offer a small measure of what we've been longing for all this time.

Each development in the case feels like a reopening of our barely healed wounds, reminding us of the harsh reality of our loss.

Even though what remains of Samah has been found, it feels like losing her all over again.

We ask for privacy in dealing with our grief.

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