Sarah Harris leads tributes to Jesse Baird
Sarah Harris has shared an emotional tribute to her former Studio 10 colleague Jesse Baird, just days after he and his partner were killed.
Jesse, 26, and his boyfriend Luke Davies, 29, are believed to have been killed by Jesse's ex-boyfriend, NSW police officer Constable Beau Lamarre, as investigators continue their frantic search for the bodies of the two men.
On Sunday night's episode of The Project, Harris shared a teary tribute to Jesse, while sending her love to Luke's family and telling viewers it had been a “really hard week” for a lot of staff at the network.
“It is hard to talk about Jesse in the past tense because he was more than just a colleague, he was our friend … a little brother,” she told viewers through tears.
She described Baird as an “absolute star” who was “quick on his feet whether it was water skiing or feeding a croc” live on air.
“One of those kids who had a big smile, big talent and even bigger heart,” she said.
She said Baird had a brand new job lined up after Studio 10 fell through and had described Davies, whom he had been dating since January, to his friends as “the one”.
“Jesse’s family needs to know he spoke about them often and with so much love.”
Harris concluded by saying, “We are all so sorry.”
Sarah's tribute comes after Baird's family broke their silence on the tragedy, with Jesse's cousin Austin sharing a moving tribute on social media.
Austin posted a photo with Jesse to Instagram, sharing that the two men had been best friends their whole lives.
“Most of my favourite memories in life were me, Luke, Brendan and you riding motorbikes, skiing, boating and camping,” he said.
“I’ll never forget our chats, all the times we would hang out on the weekends and go away with family and friends. I told you things I’d never tell anyone. I trusted you, I’ve laughed and cried in front of you!”
Austin said he was beyond devastated about Jesse’s death and called him a “one a million” person.
“You cared about everyone and left such an impact on every person you met!” he said in the post.
“I’ll love and remember you forever mate. It is an honour to be your cousin. Till we meet again.”
Police officers are continuing to investigate the deaths of the two men, after their clothes and personal items were found in a skip bin near Baird's home in Paddington, where police established a crime scene after finding blood.
Constable Beau Lamarre turned himself in on Friday afternoon, and has since been charged with two counts of murder.
Image credits: Instagram