Man in custody after teenager's body found in bushland

Police are following a number of lines of inquiry after a teen was found dead in Sydney's southwest. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)

A 32-year-old man has been arrested as police investigate the death of a teenager found in bushland near Sydney's southwest.

Emergency workers were called to an area of bushland off Wilton Park Rd at Wilton about 7.25am on Saturday after a witness found the body of a 15-year-old boy and called emergency services.

After a public appeal for information, police said the 32-year-old man was arrested after presenting himself at Narellan Police Station shortly after 4pm.

NSW Police said no charges had been laid and inquiries were ongoing.

Camden Police believe roughly a dozen young campers might have gathered on Friday evening near the area, where the body of the teenager was found the next morning.

Acting superintendent Tim Calman said the death was being treated as suspicious and state crime had been called to the location to help as there were "a lot of moving parts".

"We believe something happened on the Friday evening," he told the media on Saturday, but there was "nothing to indicate that there was any alarm raised last night".

"I've no information to substantiate whether it was an altercation (with the alleged group) or an external party," he said.

Mr Calman said police were following a number of active lines of inquiry but it was too soon in the investigation to say whether a weapon or vehicle was involved.

teenage death
Police say the family of the 15-year-old "will be doing it tough".

While the deceased was yet to be formally identified, police believed him to be a 15-year-old boy from the Wilton area.

His family had been notified, Mr Calman said, and were being supported by police after the "tragic" incident.

"We put our thoughts out to the family," he said. 

"They will be doing it tough this afternoon."

Police are appealing for anyone with knowledge of the incident or dashcam or mobile footage to come forward, as well as anyone who might have been in the area since 6pm on Friday.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store