Pictured: Murder accused helps police search bushland for girl's body
The accused killer of Quanne Diec is leading investigators through bushland near Sydney in an attempt to locate her body.
Vincent Tarantino is helping police find the 12-year-old's body in bushland near Appin Road near Bulli.
The 49-year-old was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly handed himself into police in Sydney.
He has since been charged with her abduction and murder.
Quanne vanished while on her way to school from her Granville home in Sydney's west on the morning of July 27, 1998.
Early on in the investigation, Quanne was feared to have been abducted but her disappearance was not reported to police for about 10 hours because the school believed she was probably at home sick.
Now more than 18 years after she went missing, there are fresh hopes her body will be located.
NSW Police established a crime scene at a home in Granville after officers said the accused handed himself into police.
Superintendent Scott Whyte said police had never stopped investigating the disappearance of the girl.
Strike Force Lydney was established with police pursuing numerous avenues and following up reported sightings to no avail.
During the investigation Detective Inspector Brad Cox said police had hypnotised witnesses, set up mannequins and drained and searched a nearby waterway, Duck Creek, but failed to come up with answers.
For the years following her disappearance, Quanne's family prayed that she was alive.
Her father Sam had travelled around Australia in the hope of confirming reported sightings of his daughter.