Boyfriend of slain Australian Shanae Brooke Edwards vows to track down her ‘evil’ killer

The devastated boyfriend of an Australian teacher who was raped and murdered while solo hiking a mountain in Georgia has vowed to track down her killer. 

Shanae Brooke Edwards, 31, was ambushed as she climbed Mount Mtatsminda, in Tbiilsi, on Friday, before search and rescue teams found her body the next day.

Her partner Moudy El Sayed said he planned to be in Europe with Ms Edwards but the coronavirus pandemic kept them apart. 

He said Ms Edwards was the ‘love of my life’ and they had plans to start a family before she was callously murdered. 

‘I have one mission now in my life and that is to kill the person who took her life,’ he said.

Shanae Brooke Edwards, 31, was hiking Mount Mtatsminda alone above Tbiilsi, Georgia, when she was ambushed on Friday and her body found the next day 

Ms Edwards was on a call to a friend in the US while trekking when she was heard shouting 'take your hands off me' - before the call cut out

Ms Edwards was on a call to a friend in the US while trekking when she was heard shouting ‘take your hands off me’ – before the call cut out

‘I don’t care if I spend the rest of my life behind bars; justice will be served and you are going to suffer the same she suffered.’

Ms Edwards had been teaching English in the former Soviet republic for two years and travelling the world since 2016, when she left Melbourne. 

Mr El Sayed said they had planned to move to Georgia together from Cambodia ‘to start a new life’, but they broke up and she went on her own. 

‘I was super proud of you, of what you achieved there quickly, and you were happy so I was happy,’ he said.

Mr El Sayed, from Lebanon, said that last year the pair realised they were still ‘madly in love’, but Covid restrictions prevented them from reuniting. 

‘I was ready to fly instantly to Georgia to be with you but the entry was forbidden unless I (was) vaccinated,’ he said.

‘At that point, getting vaccines in Lebanon was a hard mission but I tried and I tried and I tried and kept hitting walls of curfews, lockdowns, no vaccines and more.

Ms Edwards' heartbroken former boyfriend Moudy El Sayed (pictured together) has vowed to avenge her death

Ms Edwards’ heartbroken former boyfriend Moudy El Sayed (pictured together) has vowed to avenge her death

‘I was supposed to be there to protect you like I did all the time we were together.

‘Your life was taken away by an evil person while you were doing something you loved … hiking was one of your favourite things.’

Mr El Sayed said the ‘world and time’ has stopped since he learnt of Ms Edwards death. 

‘I can’t even think straight.[It’s the] first time in my life I’m lost and without a purpose,’ he said.

‘I lost the love of my life. We were supposed to get back together and have a family.’

Ms Edwards was on a call to a friend in the US while trekking when she was heard shouting ‘take your hands off me’ – before the call cut out.

Ms Edwards called the friend moments earlier, who heard her pleading ‘please let me go, ok… just let me go’.

She was seen on CCTV footage leaving her apartment at 3.35pm on Friday with her hair tied up, wearing a black hiking outfit and carrying a green bag. 

That afternoon, one local woman posted on an expats Facebook group that she heard ‘a woman screaming at the trails under Mtatsminda Park’ about an hour after Ms Edwards had left home.

Mtatsminda Park is a booming tourist park with several adventure rides on top of Mount Mtatsminda.

Ms Edwards has been remembered as a kind and caring person with a love of adventure and animals. Her death is being treated as a premeditated murder by the Georgian authorities

Ms Edwards has been remembered as a kind and caring person with a love of adventure and animals. Her death is being treated as a premeditated murder by the Georgian authorities

Ms Edwards went missing after being attacked on Mount Mtatsminda near Tbilisi, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where she had been teaching English. Her body was discovered after an overnight search below Mtatsminda Park, which is on top of the mountain

Ms Edwards went missing after being attacked on Mount Mtatsminda near Tbilisi, the capital of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where she had been teaching English. Her body was discovered after an overnight search below Mtatsminda Park, which is on top of the mountain

Another woman wrote in the same group claiming to have witnessed a disturbing sight on the mountain about the same time Ms Edwards went missing.

She claimed  to have seen a man having ‘aggressive’ sex with a woman about 50m away, while her and her partner were walking ‘exactly one day before the missing expat’.

Others urged her to report what she saw to police, while several reported separate incidents of harassment by one or more men in the same area previously.

Members of the group helped to organise a search for Ms Edwards following the call. Her phone was tracked to the Mtatsminda Park but early searches proved fruitless.

Ms Edwards’ body was retrieved from near a mountain trail by a searchers including police with rescue dogs, volunteers and her friends, on Saturday.  

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia launched an investigation into her death, which is being treated as a premeditated murder.

Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri told local media the suspect was believed to be a Georgian national – although that person was not yet in custody.

Ms Edwards' phone was tracked to Mtatsminda Park, a booming tourist funpark on top of the mountain she was hiking when she was attacked and murdered. A tram leading up the mountain is pictured above

Ms Edwards’ phone was tracked to Mtatsminda Park, a booming tourist funpark on top of the mountain she was hiking when she was attacked and murdered. A tram leading up the mountain is pictured above

Ms Edwards' final Instagram post, of her on a motorbike on July 29, was captioned 'Joy'

Ms Edwards’ final Instagram post, of her on a motorbike on July 29, was captioned ‘Joy’

Dozens of tributes to the 'kind' and 'adventurous' Ms Edwards flooded social media this week, many with memories from around the world as she travelled

Dozens of tributes to the ‘kind’ and ‘adventurous’ Ms Edwards flooded social media this week, many with memories from around the world as she travelled

‘The ministry and police officers are doing their best to find the murderer… We [the Ministry of Internal Affairs] have some information, though I can not talk about it due to the interests of the investigation,’ he said.

Ms Edwards posted a photo of herself on a mountain with the caption ‘Joy’ on Instagram on Thursday.

She volunteered with various causes in Melbourne including with homeless people and was a passionate animal lover, having rescued stray cats in Australia and Europe.

Dozens of tributes to the ‘kind’ and ‘adventurous’ Ms Edwards flooded social media this week, many with memories from around the world as she travelled.

Many remembered how she helped them find their feet in a foreign country when they arrived, or how they met her when she moved in.

Elina Osmanova, posted a video of Ms Edwards after she adopted a cat and her kittens, saying she had cut short a holiday to care for them.

‘She was that kind of person. Loving and caring. I miss her so much,’ she wrote.

Ms Edwards was travelling the world since 2016, when she left Melbourne

Ms Edwards was travelling the world since 2016, when she left Melbourne

Ms Edwards had volunteered in Melbourne. Her body was retrieved by a team of volunteer searchers, including her friends, on Saturday July 31

Ms Edwards had volunteered in Melbourne. Her body was retrieved by a team of volunteer searchers, including her friends, on Saturday July 31

Another post called for help in taking care of and finding homes for a female street cat and her four kittens Ms Edwards was looking after. 

‘Shanae helped this cat that came to her house to give a birth. She let the furry family stay for a few months till the kittens grew a bit,’ they wrote.

‘She taught them to go to cat’s toilet, vaccinated and treated from parasites all of them, and neutered the mom cat.

‘Her friends know how she loved them!’

Lina Kha posted to Instagram that Ms Edwards was ‘one of the truest people I ever known. The warmest friend anyone can ever find’.

‘I never told you how dear you were to me… You didn’t deserve to go like this, but I’m glad I had a chance to spend some moments with you,’ she wrote.

‘You are forever in my mind. Anytime I’d ride a bike and play in my head Taking a Ride With My Best Friend by Depeche.

Tributes for the kind and adventurous Shanae Brooke Edwards have flooded social media since her brutal murder

Tributes for the kind and adventurous Shanae Brooke Edwards have flooded social media since her brutal murder

‘Anytime I’d see an adorable Georgian house, anytime I’d stand on a top of a hill and see beautiful nature – I’d see you.’ 

‘Shanae was always up for an adventure, so kind-hearted to those around her, full of laughter and a shining light. I lack the words to fully express what I feel, however I only have love for her,’ Sarah Richards wrote.

Another friend, Natalie Curro, described her as ‘selfless, caring and tough as nails’.

Mr Gomelauri confirmed there were reports of women being followed by men in Mtatsminda Park, but denied they had been assaulted.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs said it was was providing consular assistance to Ms Edwards’ family.

‘The Australian government offers its deepest condolences to the family of an Australian woman whose death is being investigated by authorities in Tbilisi, Georgia,’ a DFAT statement read.

Shanae Edwards was described as fun loving, adventurous and caring in tributes posted to social media since her murder

Shanae Edwards was described as fun loving, adventurous and caring in tributes posted to social media since her murder

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