A man will remain behind bars accused of murdering NSW woman Lesil Smith, who was last seen six years ago.
Ms Smith, then 23, left her Wallarah home on the state's Central Coast on August 19, 2012.
Police searched extensively but failed to find any trace of her, although her Honda Accord was found abandoned at nearby Tuggerah railway station more than a month after she vanished.
In April 2013, detectives spoke to a then 42-year-old man before searching two properties at Wallarah and 80km north at Brookfield, where they seized several items.
More properties were scoured bordering the Golden Highway at Merriwa in the far west of the Hunter region.
After ongoing investigations, James Scott Church, 48, was charged with murder on Thursday on the Gwydir Highway, west of Inverell, in northern NSW.
He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused at Inverell Local Court on Friday.
Church is due to reappear at Wyong Local Court on December 19.
Ms Smith's mum Sandi thanked everyone for the support they've given her over the past six years.
"For those who have not heard, a man has been arrested in relation to Leisl's disappearance... hoping for more answers... thank you all for your continued support, not just of this page, but of me also ... you will never know how much it has meant to me," she said on the Find Leisl Smith Facebook page.
Australian Associated Press
