Establishing Karen Ristevski's cause of death will be crucial in charging her killer, one of Melbourne's top criminal lawyers says.
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The badly decomposed body of the 47-year-old was discovered in bushland north of the city and initial autopsy results reportedly failed to find visible signs of injury.
"It's a process of elimination," defence lawyer Bernie Balmer said.
"In order to charge and prosecute someone for murder you've got to eliminate all other possibilities – that it wasn't an accident.
"It's crucial to find a cause of death."
But it's also not impossible to lay charges without one, Queensland-based forensic criminologist Dr Claire Ferguson said.
Dr Ferguson pointed to the Allison Baden-Clay case in 2012.
The forensic pathologist could not say for sure how Mrs Baden-Clay died because of the decomposition of her body, found on a creek bank in Brisbane's west 10 days after she was reported missing
Her husband Gerard Baden-Clay was still charged and convicted of murder.
"You can move forward with a criminal trial without proving a manner or cause of death," Dr Ferguson said.
Critical to the Ristevski case will be whether her body was concealed, Dr Ferguson said.
"That could become really important. If the body is concealed, it's a pretty big problem for someone," she said.
"[Police will be] also be looking for a primary crime scene.
"If that is the dumping site [in Mount Macedon], if they can find somewhere that's associated with her through blood stain patterns or DNA evidence of a clean-up of blood than that bodes well for homicide.
"It's about the body on one hand, but the circumstances are just as important."
A bushwalker found Ms Ristevski's remains between two logs in bush off Loch Road on the outskirts of Mount Macedon on Monday afternoon, almost eight months after she went missing from her Avondale Heights home last June.
Police believe the killing was unplanned.
Detectives are calling for members of the public who have seen anyone walking along the dirt track, or anyone who may have seen vehicles to contact them.
Investigators said they were are also hoping to speak to anyone who may have been at Mount Macedon any time since June last year and taken photos or video in the area.
Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report.
