Man Charged with Murder of 49-Year-Old Mother of 2 Found Dead in River

A man has been charged with murder following the death of a mother of two who was found in the Brisbane River in Queensland, Australia, in February.

On Monday, Sept. 22, Jesse Beale, believed to be Crystal Beale’s former husband, was reportedly charged with her murder, according to 7 News and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

PEOPLE previously reported that authorities believed Crystal, 49, met up with a former partner, also 49, after dining with her two children on Feb. 21,  per the Brisbane Times. Her body was discovered in the Brisbane River the following morning.

In a Sept. 22 press release, the Queensland Police Service confirmed that a 49-year-old man had been charged with Crystal’s alleged murder.

PEOPLE has contacted the Queensland Police Service for further comment, but did not immediately hear back.

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“Detectives have conducted relentless investigations, combing through over a thousand hours of CCTV and conducting multiple appeals for information to find justice for Crystal,” the release read.

“Police will allege the 49-year-old West End man murdered Crystal and moved her body into the Brisbane River where it was later located.”

Officials said a search warrant was carried out at an Equestrian Drive address in Maudsland [a rural-residential suburb located in the northern hinterland of the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia] at 5.11 a.m. on Sept. 22.

“A 49-year-old male was arrested at the location and has since been charged with one count each of murder (domestic violence offence) and misconduct with a corpse,” the statement continued.

“It is reprehensible what happened to Crystal. Over the past seven months, detectives have been tirelessly investigating every avenue possible to find answers for her family,” Detective Inspector Wayne Francis said in a statement.

In an April update, police said that Crystal’s body was found in the river by a member of the public at  5.40 a.m. on Feb. 22.

“Operation Xray Saba was established to piece together not only what happened that night, but Crystal’s life leading up to her alleged murder,” the release noted.

Police believe she left the family dinner at a Sunnybank restaurant on Feb. 21 at 8.30pm “and travelled with a 49-year-old West End man, who was known to her, in a car to West End.”

She was last seen with the man after departing from the car at 9.30 p.m. on Ryan Street, West End.

“We were not going to give up until we could provide these answers and get justice for Crystal,” per the update.

A police spokesperson said in a Sept. 22 press conference that authorities believed the pair had a “history of domestic violence.”

“There was no current domestic violence order in place at the time, but police will allege that there was a history of domestic violence, which is why that’s on the charge,” District Detective Inspector Francis said.

Of Crystal’s children, he added, “But as you can appreciate, they’ve lost their mother … through horrible circumstances and no matter what police action or court action occurs subsequently, they can’t get their mother back.”

While the man was set to appear at Brisbane Magistrates on Sept. 22, he was not present when his case was mentioned, according to ABC.

Jesse’s lawyer, Lewis Huntee requested that the case be adjourned to October, according to the outlet.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.