Carly McBride murder: Sayle Newson told police "you're looking for a dead body"

Sayle Kenneth Newson "went above and beyond" in his attempts to locate Ms McBride, his girlfriend of about eight weeks, a police officer told Mr Newson's murder trial on Monday.

That included doorknocking neighbouring residents in Calgaroo Avenue where Ms McBride was last seen and inquiring with police about the success of missing person investigations, behaviour that senior constable Tegan Dennis thought was unusual.

"I am just speculating on my own experience," she said. "I have never had someone go and take the initiative to doorknock and conduct their own investigations before police had.

"It appeared he was doing a lot himself rather than liaise with police to find Ms McBride.

"These little things just seemed unusual and have stuck in my mind.

"I just found Mr Newson was going above and beyond to find Ms McBride and [inquiring about how many missing persons are found]... I personally had never had anyone ask that before."

Senior constable Dennis said she was speaking with Mr Newson in the "victim room" at the police station when he became frustrated and while walking out said "you're looking for a dead body".

Mr Newson's murder trial, which entered its eighth week on Monday, was shown CCTV footage of an "agitated and jittery" Mr Newson at Muswellbrook police station on October 1, 2014.

Mr Newson, 41, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms McBride at Muswellbrook on September 30, 2014, and dumping her body in bush about 25 metres from Bunnan Road at Owens Gap.

The trial continues.