The dramatic story of Dezi Freeman has come to a bloody end after Victoria Police shot and killed the fugitive after six months on the run – and now a bushcraft survival expert is sharing how he could have survived for so long out in the bush.
“It was a pretty solid effort if he did spend all that time in the bush, but I’m open to that not being the case,” bushcraft survival expert Jake Cassar tells Woman’s Day.
“He may have had something set up somewhere we he could have gone underground and just live off things he’d prepared over time.”
KNOWING HIS ENVIRONMENT
On August 26, 2025, Freeman allegedly shot and killed two police officers, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Belgian-born Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, who were attempting to execute a warrant relating to previous sexual offences.
The sovereign citizen then spent the next 216 days as a fugitive of the law, hiding from hundreds of police officers, drones, helicopters and specialist police dogs all searching for him under Taskforce Summit.
While it’s not known exactly how Freeman survived out in the bush for so long, Jake says it all comes down to how much he knew about his environment.
“If Freeman was an incredible bushman, it’s possible that he was able to survive all that time just off wild food,” he says.
“But it would take a lot of knowledge to be able to get your macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates and fats which are crucial in a survival situation.”
“If he had all his nutritional bases covered and basic medical needs, he could have gone and lived off the land that entire time which would be a pretty big call to be able to do that.”
Jake, a conservationalist who runs a bushcraft and survival workshop on the NSW Central Coast shares that it’s possible to live off the land indefinitely with very few supplies.
“If he hunted rabbits or could dry the meat from a sheep of cow and turn it into jerky, he could make that meal last for months if he really knew what he was doing,” Jake tells.
“In areas like where he was found there are wild bush potatoes which are very high in carbohydrates, and very high in vitamin C, which helps convert food to energy.”
DID HE HAVE HELP?
The hunt for Freeman came to an end when Victoria Police received a tip-off that he was living on a rural property in Walwa, about two-hours north of his home in Porepunkah.
During a three-hour-long stand-off, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said Freeman “had an opportunity to surrender peacefully, which he did not”, and said officers will continue to investigate whether Freeman had help to stay hidden from authorities.
“We’re very keen to learn who if any, but I’m sure some, assisted him in getting away from Porepunkah to where he was located, but that’s a very important part of what comes next,” Bush said during a press conference.
“If anyone was complicit, they will be held to account.”
Just hours after Freeman’s death, his 20-year-old son Koah broke his silence with an emotional Facebook post to a community noticeboard.
“I am not here to defend my father’s actions because I know what he did was wrong,” he wrote. “What I’m here about however is seeing so called ‘friends’ and people who I thought were nice people say some questionable things.”
Koah also noted that he is seeing everything the community is saying about his father online.
“I hope you realise that I am looking at everything you are saying, and that you all realise how that is making me feel. I know you people all have thoughts to share about the situation that has been happening.”
“Just bear in mind that to you, my father was a cop killer, but to me that’s still my father who raised me to be the man I am today.”
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