A ‘sweet and friendly’ elderly lady has been identified as the woman whose body was dumped in the Maribyrnong River.
The body of Lolene Whitehand, 85, was found floating in the river on Sunday near Smithfield Road in Flemington in inner-city Melbourne.
Ms Whitehand allegedly had plastic bags tied around her head and parts of her legs and was badly bruised.
The discovery of the 85-year-old’s body came two days after Victoria Police launched a public appeal to help find Ms Whitehand, who was last seen at her home on Glamis Road last Friday afternoon.
It took three days for homicide detectives to identify the body found in river.
Detectives were seen searching Ms Whitehand’s home on Wednesday afternoon. while uniformed officers went door knocking to question shocked residents.
Those neighbours were left shocked by the elderly woman’s allegedly violent death and recalled her as a friendly face with a love for gardening.
Peter and Christine Spencer left a bouquet of flowers at Ms Whitehand’s single-storey home on Wednesday, where it’s understood she’s lived alone since her husband passed a decade ago.
The body of Lolene Whitehand (pictured) was found floating in the Maribyrnong River about 10.30am on Sunday
Ms Whitehand’s identification comes as her alleged killer, a 49-year-old Footscray West woman, faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday
‘I can’t believe that someone would do that to a very elderly lady who was very nice to everyone in the neighbourhood,’ Mr Spencer told the Herald Sun.
‘She was very well-known around the area. Everyone would wave and talk to her.’
Mr Spencer’s wife added: ‘When somebody passes away in this situation, there is not a lot you can do, so flowers were probably the best way to say: we’re thinking of you.’
Another neighbour told The Age: ‘She was honestly the kindest lady you could meet.’
‘I can’t get my head around it and the circumstances of it are just horrible.’
Another local said that Ms Whitehand was always up for a chat.
‘She’s just a lovely old lady, talked about her bushes a few times and talked about her gardening,’ he said.
Ms Whitehand’s identification comes as her alleged killer, a 49-year-old Footscray West woman, faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.
Her lawyer, Sharon Healey, successfully asked the court on Wednesday to suppress her client’s identity.
Reporters were ejected from the courtroom to allow the alleged killer’s lawyer to address the magistrate in private about protecting his client.
The woman did not speak throughout the hearing but had a noticeable link when she was escorted back to custody.
The court heard she suffers from lower back pain which she takes panadeine forte and steroid injections for.
She also takes medication for depression and anxiety.
Police believe the women were known to each other.
The matter is scheduled to return to court next Tuesday, where media organisations will fight the court-imposed gag order.
Police previously questioned a 15-year-old boy in relation to Ms Whitehand’s death but he was released without charge.
Ms Whitehand’s neighbours were left shocked by her allegedly violent death and recalled her love for gardening
Meanwhile, detectives continue to appeal for anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage from the areas around Glasmis Rd in West Footscray or Smithfield Rd in Flemington near Lynchs’ Bridge between 12pm on July 12 and 10.30am on July 14 to come forward.
‘Police are also keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity in those areas during that time,’ a statement read.
Detectives are also investigating the discovery of a 20-year-old Colombian man’s body, which was found floating in the same river just 90 minutes prior in Footscray.
Police have confirmed the man’s death is not linked to Ms Whitehand’s death and is not being treated as suspicious.
Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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