Remains believed to be those of missing South Australian woman Colleen Adams will undergo an autopsy, after they were recovered from the backyard of her former home.
Mrs Adams disappeared in 1973 and was missing for 45 years until her husband, Geoffrey Adams, led police to the burial site earlier this week and faced court charged with her murder.
Discovered at Maitland home the couple shared with their young children, the recovery effort was made difficult by the consistency of the soil.
It concluded on Friday, when the hole dug by police was filled and the tenants of the house allowed to move back in.
The remains have been sent to Adelaide to undergo a formal identification process.
Adams had previously told police he awoke about 7am on November 22, 1973, to find Mrs Adams fully dressed with two packed suitcases.
According to Adams, she said she was leaving and never wanted to see him or the children again, before getting into a car with a middle-aged woman he did not know.
The couple's youngest daughter, Kaye, visited the site on Thursday and delivered a statement to the media through victim contact officer Debbie Gibson.
"Today I have finally found my mother," the statement said.
"After 45 years of hoping, we have found her."
Australian Associated Press
