Dramatic moment man charged with murder of Crystal Beale, 49, after body found in Brisbane River

Police have released footage of the moment a 49-year-old man was charged with the murder of Crystal Beale, whose body was found in the Brisbane River in February this year.

The body of the 49-year-old woman was found by a rower in the river near the Yeronga Reach about 5.40am on February 22.

Police allege the night before, Ms Beale left a family dinner at a restaurant in Sunnybank on the southside of Brisbane before she got in a car with a 49-year-old man from West End.

The man was her former partner, police allege.

Police have released footage of a 49-year-old man who has been charged with the murder of mum-of-two Crystal Beale, whose body was found in the Brisbane River in February

Police have since released dramatic footage of the moment the 49-year-old was arrested at a property on Equestrian Drive in Maudsland about 5.10am Monday.

“We have a search warrant,” an officer could be heard saying.

Dressed in a navy blue shirt and paint-splattered jeans, the man was handcuffed and escorted out of the property into a police car.

Footage showed the man sitting in the back of the police car, with his hands in his lap.

Ms Beale was last seen leaving the car on Ryan St in West End about 9.30pm.

Chilling CCTV footage released by police shows Ms Beale walking through the Sunnybank restaurant on the last night she was seen alive.

“Detectives have conducted relentless investigations, combing through over a thousand hours of CCTV and conducting multiple appeals for information to find justice for Crystal,” a police statement read.

Police allege the 49-year-old man murdered Ms Beale before dumping her body in the Brisbane River, where it was later discovered.

He has been charged with one count of murder (domestic violence) and misconduct with a corpse.

He is expected to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

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Detective Inspector Wayne Francis said Ms Beale’s death was “reprehensible”.

“Over the past seven months detectives have been tirelessly investigating every avenue possible to find answers for her family,” he said.

“We were not going to give up until we could provide these answers and get justice for Crystal.”