Mother, stepfather refused bail over murder

The mother and stepfather of Sydney girl Kiesha Abrahams have been refused bail after being charged over her murder.

The matter was briefly mentioned on Friday in Parramatta Bail Court after they were arrested in the early hours of the morning.

Lawyer Alexander Reetov, representing Kristi Anne Abrahams, 28, Robert Terry Smith, 31, told the court neither wanted to appear on screen in the court by video-link.

The pair did not request bail and registrar Ross Lawton formally refused it, meaning they will remain in custody for now.

According to court documents the pair were arrested just after 1am (EST) on Friday on Freya Street at Shalvey, in Sydney's west.

They were taken to Mount Druitt police station and each was later charged with the murder of the child.

Kiesha, who would have turned seven on Friday, was reported missing from her bed at her Mount Druitt home on the morning of August 1 last year.

According to court documents, police allege she was murdered between July 20 and July 27, 2010.

The case will be heard again on April 29 at Penrith Local Court.

Meanwhile, police said they could not confirm reports a shallow grave had been found during a search of bushland at Shalvey.

Police had on Friday set up a crime scene in the area.

Detective Inspector Russell Oxford, of the State Crime Command Homicide Squad, told reporters outside the court forensic officers were "there at the moment conducting examinations".

"I can't give you the results because I don't have the results at the moment," he said.

"Suffice to say we will remain out there until we find what we're looking for."

The investigation into the girl's disappearance began in earnest on August 1.

Police had pursued thousands of potential leads amid a groundswell of support from the local community.

"We had tremendous community support all along the way," Det Insp Oxford said.

"It was simply the case that we never wanted to give up on this matter."

He said it was a coincidence that charges were laid on the day which would have been Kiesha's seventh birthday.

At Mount Druitt, community members were expected to gather on Friday in Woodstock Avenue where the child had lived.