A man arrested over Dezi Freeman's time on the run has been released without charge, as police claim the slain cop killer may have travelled interstate while at large.
Freeman triggered one of Australia's largest manhunts after he killed Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart and Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson at his home at Porepunkah, in Victoria's High Country, in August 2025.
The 56-year-old fled and evaded capture until traced to a remote property about 150km away at Thologolong, near the Victoria-NSW border, in March, when he was shot by police.
Victoria Police raided three rural properties at Buckland, Stanley and Lucyvale, in regional Victoria, shortly after 6.20am on Tuesday.
At the same time, NSW Police raided four residential properties at Greenwich Park, Tarlo, Wombeyan Caves and Umina Beach.
Officers have seized multiple electronic devices from the properties, where searches are ongoing.
A 64-year-old Lucyvale man was interviewed by police after being arrested in Wodonga, on the Victorian side of the border with NSW.
He was subsequently released pending further investigations, police said on Tuesday evening.
A 47-year-old Wombeyan Caves man was also arrested in Greenwich Park, northeast of Goulburn, on unrelated outstanding warrants.
No further arrests have been made, but police are questioning occupants at several premises.
It comes weeks after police investigating Freeman's disappearance arrested two men, aged 48 and 45, at separate locations in northeastern Victoria in May.
Both men were later released without charge.
Freeman is believed to have travelled between Victoria and NSW and received assistance from multiple people during that period, Victoria Police said on Tuesday.
The searches form part of the Taskforce Summit investigation into Freeman's movements during his seven months on the run.
The slain officers were executing a warrant relating to Freeman's alleged sexual assault of a child and alleged attempt to involve a child in the production of abuse material.
In March, officers tracked the fugitive to a shipping container in Victoria's remote northeast, where he was fatally shot after firing on police.
Police were working tirelessly to piece together how Freeman managed to evade capture for so long, Taskforce Summit’s Detective Inspector Anthony Gasparini said.
“The investigation does not stop simply because Freeman was located,” Det Insp Gasparini said.
“We said from the outset that if alive, Freeman would likely need significant support to leave the area and survive over the following months."
Separate inquests will be held into the deaths of the officers and Freeman's fatal shooting, but full hearing dates have not been set.
