Ellen Rachel Craig pleads not guilty to murder of toddler near Oberon

Ellen Rachel Craig, 61, appeared by audio-visual link from a prison to Bathurst Local Court on May 10, 2023, where solicitor Emma Mason formally entered the plea on her client's behalf.

The co-accused in the matter, Alexander Wilon, 72, also pleaded not guilty to the charges laid in relation to the matter, which include accessory after the fact to murder and improperly interfering with human remains.

Previous reports reveal the child was allegedly fatally beaten with plastic tubing by Craig around July of 1987 at a rural property at Porters Retreat in the Oberon area that served as headquarters of the cult, The Ministry of God.

Then cult leader, Wilon is alleged to have disposed of the toddler's body by burning it before placing it into a 44-gallon drum and putting it in the river.

Craig was extradited from New Zealand in 2022 by Homicide Squad detectives after they received a tip-off from a fellow cult member who had known of the alleged murder for over three decades.

Both Craig's and Wilon's matters have been committed to the NSW Supreme Court to face trial, with arraignment to take place on July 7, 2023.

Both remain behind bars.

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