Warning: This article contains the name and image of Indigenous people who have died.
A decomposed body believed to be that of accused murderer Julian Ingram has been found beside an abandoned ute in a remote NSW national park, bringing a months-long hunt for the state's most wanted man to an end.
National Parks and Wildlife staff found the ute this afternoon in Central West NSW, months after Ingram allegedly murdered his heavily pregnant ex-partner Sophie Quinn, 25, her friend John Harris, 32, and aunt Nerida Quinn, 50, in Lake Cargelligo.
Loved ones were rocked by the discovery but said they could now finally grieve.
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Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said the discovery was a relief for officers who'd been involved in a major manhunt for the accused killer but particularly for the affected families.
"For the last four months, the strike forces involved in … the manhunt for Julian Ingram, have not given up," he said.
"There's been hundreds of police involved.
"Obviously, it's a relief for them to find this body – again, yet to be confirmed as Julian Ingram – but the main thing is, it brings closure to this investigation, it brings closure to the people of Lake Cargelligo and gives some solace to the town so they can relax."
While police had not officially confirmed the body was Ingram, they do believe it is him; it was found in his clothes next to the white Ford Ranger he was last seen fleeing the town in, and his licence was inside the vehicle.
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Holland said the body was found in a "very decomposed" state but didn't give a specific estimate for when the man may have died, saying only it "appears to have been there for some time".
He did not confirm whether the weapon was the same alleged to have been used in the shooting or whether the man was believed to have died by suicide.
Police said NPWS workers carrying out feral animal eradication found the vehicle about 3.40pm today in Round Hill Nature Reserve, roughly 100 kilometres north-east of Lake Cargelligo.
Ingram, 37, had been on the run since the January 22 shooting.
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He allegedly killed his pregnant former partner, Sophie Quinn, and her friend John Harris, then moving on to Sophie's Auntie Nerida, killing her and shooting Kaleb Macqueen, 19, the only victim to survive.
"I heard boom, boom. I seen her – she was holding her neck, and then he was laughing," Macqueen told 9News in January.
Sophie's mother, Cathy Quinn, called Ingram "gutless".
"We still grieving but justice will be served," she told 9News.
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Her sister, Tegan, said it was "about time they found him".
"We can grieve but now it feels so real and it's only has hit me now," she said.
The shooting devastated the tiny town and rattled the entire state.
Last month, police said Ingram was seen on the side of a road two days after the alleged murders.
At the time they said they believed he was receiving help from the public to evade capture but it's not clear how that would fit in with the decomposed state of the body.
In March, police offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The coroner will now be charged with confirming how the man died and when.
If the body is confirmed to be Ingram, everything leading up to the killing will also be investigated, including why the repeated domestic violence offender was out on bail.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).
