Daniel Holdom charged with murder of two-year-old Khandalyce Pearce

Daniel Holdom has been charged with the murder of two-year-old Khandalyce Pearce.

Holdom, 41, was arrested this morning and questioned by homicide detectives at Parramatta Police Station.

He has already been charged with the murder of Khandalyce's mother, Karlie Pearce-Stevenson.

“We believe Daniel killed Karlie and then within days, Khandalyce,” Detective Superintendent Des Bray said.

He is expected to appear at Parramatta Local Court this afternoon.

Police believe Ms Pearce-Stevenson was killed in December of 2008, after which her mobile phone was used to contact her family and provide false proof of life.

Khandalyce is believed to have been murdered a month later.

For years, Ms Pearce-Stevenson went unidentified – her body was found badly decomposed in NSW’s notorious Belanglo State Forest – referred to only as “Angel”, because of a distinctive T-shirt found at the scene, by investigators.

Khandalyce’s body was found in a suitcase dumped in remote South Australia in July this year and a joint NSW-South Australian operation eventually pieced the various clues together and linked the two bodies. 

Today's police announcement comes days after the mother and daughter were laid to rest at a private funeral in their hometown of Alice Springs.