POLICE are trying to piece together what happened to Hunter woman Danielle Easey who was murdered, her body wrapped in plastic and dumped in Cockle Creek.
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Investigators confirmed the 29-year-old woman's identity on Monday, after her body was found near Wakefield Road, Killingworth on Saturday.
Police revealed few details about the incident, but said she "died a gruesome death" as a result of significant injuries.
The Homicide Squad's Detective Chief Inspector Grant Taylor fronted the media on Monday with an appeal for information about Ms Easey's whereabouts in the lead up to her murder.
"We're trying to establish when Danielle was actually killed...where exactly Danielle was when she met her fate," he said.
"We believe Danielle may have been killed weeks ago, some time between mid August and present."
Police said Ms Easey had lived at Booragul with family but she had most recently been 'couch-surfing' at multiple locations in the area.
Detectives from the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad and Lake Macquarie Police District have established Strike Force Furzer to investigate the murder.
"We know that Danielle was staying at different locations over the last three weeks and we are keen to establish where those locations were and speak to who she stayed with during that time," Inspector Taylor said.
"Of particular interest to us is any sightings or contact with Danielle since early to mid-August, and we are appealing for those people to contact us as soon as possible.
"Our investigations have revealed Danielle had been associating with people involved in drug-related activities over the last few weeks.
"Detectives have been liaising with her family, who last had contact with Danielle several weeks ago.
"We are keen to speak to any motorists with dash cam vision who may have been driving in the area of Wakefield Road over the past three weeks."
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000.
Ms Easey was known as the earthquake baby - she was born on the day of the Newcastle earthquake in 1989.
She was born on the lawn of the Western Suburbs Maternity Hospital on December, 28 1989.
In a story for the 20th anniversary of the earthquake, the Newcastle Herald reported that Ms Easey's mother Jennifer Collier was in the labour ward when the earthquake struck, attended by the staff and her then husband, Colin.
Her contractions were two minutes apart.
Within seven minutes of the shock, the ward was evacuated with staff and patients transferred to the lawn.
"I didn't think I'd give birth outside," Ms Collier told the Herald.
"I had no idea why we were outside or what had happened. It was very confusing."
Earlier report:
FORENSIC investigators will examine a body, believed to be that of a woman, found wrapped in plastic in Cockle Creek at Killingworth on Saturday.
The body was found by a member of the public who was driving along Wakefield Road and saw a plastic item and stopped to investigate shortly before 10.30am.
After making the gruesome discovery, the driver called police and officers from Lake Macquarie Police District attended the scene, south of the closed West Wallsend Colliery.
A crime scene was established by local police officers at the site and Wakefield Road was immediately closed between The Broadway and Rhondda Road.
Investigators remained on scene throughout Saturday afternoon and most of the day on Sunday scouring the surrounding area for evidence.
Initial police reports on Saturday had listed the body's location as in Teralba, but it was confirmed on Sunday as in Killingworth.
NSW Police said on Sunday: "the item, believed to be a body", would be examined by forensic investigators.
"Police were called to Cockle Creek, near Wakefield Road at Killingworth about 10.30am (on Saturday), after members of the public reportedly saw an item wrapped in plastic floating in the water while driving past," police said.
"Officers attached to Lake Macquarie Police District attended and removed the item from the water.
"Strike Force Furzer has been established as officers from Lake Macquarie Police District and the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad investigate the circumstances surrounding the discovery."
Police have given no formal statement about the condition of the body, but it is believed to be that of a woman.
The crime scene was established less than two kilometres from Barnsley and a short distance from West Wallsend Colliery, which closed in 2016 after almost 50 years of operations.
The isolated stretch of Wakefield Road between The Broadway and Rhondda Road has no street lights and multiple bends.
Hundreds of vehicles were forced to turn back at either end of the closed section of road and find alternative routes between Wakefield and Barnsley.
It remained closed until about 3pm on Sunday.
Police are understood to have sought CCTV footage from residents and businesses in Barnsley.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.
Information will be treated in strict confidence.
