THE parents of missing Sunshine Coast teenager Daniel Morcombe say the discovery of bones at the site where their son was allegedly murdered is a relief.

Bruce Morcombe is this morning flying back to the Sunshine Coast from Melbourne where he and wife Denise attended a family function yesterday.



Mr Morcombe told The Courier-Mailthe discovery of three human bones yesterday morning was potentially the "final piece of the puzzle" after their son's baffling disappearance from a Woombye bus stop on December 7, 2003.

"Even though it's very grim news, it's the one call we've been waiting for," he said.

"Out of the four important phone calls we've had, this is the one we've been waiting for."



Mr and Mrs Morcombe had flown to Melbourne Saturday morning to catch up with family and "recharge" after the recent significant developments in their son's case.

"Basically we got off the flight on Saturday and there was the shoe (news)," Mr Morcombe said.



"Then we were one hour into the 80th birthday party (Sunday) and we got the call that we'd been waiting on for nearly eight years.



"And to a large degree we didn't tell anybody that we'd received that call because we wanted their function to go as smoothly as possible."

The discovery of human remains at the alleged crime scene where police believe their son Daniel was murdered was the third significant breakthrough in five days.



It was the latest in an extraordinary two weeks of developments in the investigation into Daniel's disappearance from a Woombye bus stop in December 2003.

The Morcombes' lawyer Peter Boyce said this was the discovery his clients had been waiting for.

"It's more of a relief to see that (Bruce and Denise) might get some answers," he said.

"I see this (breakthrough) as piecing together the jigsaw puzzle.

"Bruce and Denise have always wanted a break on that puzzle and this might be that break."



Mr Boyce said the Morcombes had welcomed the news.

"They do so much to be positive and in terms of trying to spread the child safety message," he said.



"You just take your hat off to them every day at how they respond and deal with life. I'm not sure I could do it, frankly."



Mr Boyce said the coronial inquest into Daniel's disappearance had played an important role in bringing the police investigation to this point.

"There were times when I wondered 'will (finding Daniel) ever happen?' and other times when I thought it might," he said.

"During and after the coronial inquest, I had a much better feeling about it.

"The inquest played a major role (in these developments)."



Police last night confirmed three bones, believed to be human, were found in the primary search area at the end of Kings Rd in the picturesque Glass House Mountains area yesterday.

Police are believed to be heartened to make the third major discovery in less than a week in what has been difficult terrain and muddy conditions.

The primary search area has been widened and police expect to find more bones soon.



"More definitive testing including DNA analysis will commence in the coming days in an attempt to establish the identity of the bones," a police statement said.

It is understood the bones have been transferred to Queensland Health's Forensic and Scientific Services, better known as the John Tonge Centre, at Coopers Plains.



It also is understood police may be forced to send the bones overseas to complete the investigation.



A DNA analysis of the bones will be compared with Daniel's DNA profile, which was created immediately after his disappearance from items including his clothes and shoes.



If the bones are confirmed as Daniel's, it will enable the family to finally have a funeral.



An army of 109 SES volunteers arrived before dawn yesterday to spend the day searching for any trace of the missing teenager in dense forest in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, despite heavy rain and low temperatures.

They joined a dozen police officers, including forensic specialists and crime scene investigators, at the primary search area on Kings Rd near Beerwah.



Most volunteers spent the day combing the primary search site, thick bush and swampland wedged between a macadamia farm and a dam, while about 25 SES volunteers searched an area of bushland south of Kings Rd.

Their commitment to finding Daniel was obvious as they combed, dug up and sifted through the rugged terrain in relentless rain and testing windy conditions.

The search team's enthusiasm was boosted on Saturday morning after a second shoe, believed to match another found last Wednesday, was unearthed at the primary search site.

Both shoes will undergo forensic testing to determine if they match the Globe runners worn by Daniel when he vanished.

The results of that testing are expected within the next few weeks.

As volunteers returned to the police command post about 3pm yesterday, carrying muddy gloves and shovels, the rain had begun to ease.

About 125 volunteers were involved in the search throughout the weekend.

Police divers are expected to return this morning.