TWELVE years after the dismembered body of a baby was found in a Cairns driveway, a woman has appeared in court charged with murder, concealing a birth and interfering with a corpse.

Violet Flora Evans, 52, was dressed in red with her arms tightly folded as she sat behind a glass wall in the Cairns Magistrates’ Court dock yesterday.

Ms Evans could not apply for bail in the Magistrates’ Court because the nature of her charges meant she would have to be dealt with in a higher court.

Prosecutor Sgt Mark White said: "It’s a complex matter, events go back to 1996." Sgt White asked for four months to prepare a brief of evidence and defence solicitor Tom Eckersley agreed.

Magistrate John Hodgins remanded Ms Evans in custody and ordered the matter be mentioned again on December 5.

Outside the court Mr Eckersley said his client was "holding up very well".

"At this time obviously I’m not at liberty to discuss the matter with you," he told a media scrum waiting outside the court house.

"All I can say is that the matter will have to proceed in a court of higher jurisdiction than this, and until such time as that is finalised and resolved there’s no more comment I can make," he said.

Mr Eckersley said he was getting instructions from Ms Evans on whether she wanted to apply for bail in the Supreme Court.

Ms Evans’ arrest and charging late on Thursday night came after a drama-filled day in the 12-year investigation into a case that shocked the nation. The back yard of a Mooroobool duplex was dug up by forensics officers and another nearby duplex was also searched.

The breakthrough came after The Cairns Post and sister publication Cairns Sun published tribute stories on former Det Insp John Harris, who spoke about his frustration at not being able to solve the case. A reader moved by his comments came forward to police with vital information.

In a crime that horrified the nation, the torso of a boy, believed to be no more than 48 hours old, was found on the driveway of a home in suburban Cairns on May 4, 1996.

Police at the time believed the baby had been drowned, cut in half with a sharp instrument and dumped. Police offered a $250,000 reward to anyone with information about the crime.

It is not yet known if the reward will be paid following Thursday’s breakthrough.

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