Karlie's murder-accused arrives at court

A 41-year-old man has arrived at a court in Maitland, north of Newcastle, where he is expected to make a first appearance over the murder of single mother Karlie Pearce-Stevenson.

The man arrived at Maitland Local Court on Thursday morning in a prison van, after having been arrested at Cessnock police station on Wednesday.

Ms Pearce-Stevenson's body was discovered five years ago in the Belanglo State Forest south of Sydney.

Police are continuing their inquiries into the murder of the mother's two-year-old daughter Khandalyce Pearce, whose body was found in July this year dumped on the side of a highway more than 1000km away in South Australia.