NSW Police divers search a Newcastle river while the remains of Luke Davies and Jesse Baird are still missing.

New South Wales Police have been searching for the bodies of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, who were believed to be murdered in Sydney’s east.

The couple has not been seen since Sunday, and police have charged a NSW Police constable, Beau Lamarre-Condon, with two counts of murder.

The police believe Lamarre-Condon was in Newcastle on Thursday night before handing himself in at an eastern Sydney police station on Friday.

Their priority is to locate the bodies and establish a timeline of movement in relation to a white van hired from Mascot on Monday evening.

Detective Superintendent Daniel Doherty from the Homicide Squad revealed that a projectile and casing found in Baird’s Paddington home has been matched ballistically to a police-issued handgun.

Police allege the men were killed in the home, where a significant amount of blood was discovered, and a “strong” line of inquiry is that the police handgun was discharged at that property.

However, causes of death are not yet established.

Sydney MP Alex Greenwich has called for urgent questions about the protocols around the use of police weapons.

The gun in question is being further examined after being found in a gun safe at a suburban police station, but will not disclose dates or times of when the weapon was checked back in.

Friends of Baird and Davies have expressed disbelief and shock, describing them as loving and positive young men.

A GoFundMe campaign set up to help the family of Davies raised $45,000 in its first day.