Breakthrough in horrific murder of Nicole Cartwright, 32, who was found bound, gagged and bashed to death next to a Sydney playground – as man, 51, is arrested
- A man has been arrested over the death of Nicole Cartwright in Sydney in 2018
- Ms Cartwright’s brutalised body was found lying at a playground in Hunters Hill
- NSW Police arrested a man, 51, on Wednesday after two-year investigation
- The man was arrested at Parramatta Police Station and expected to be charged
- Ms Cartwright had travelled to visit several people across Sydney in days prior
A man has been arrested over the death of Nicole Cartwright, almost two years after her body was found near a children’s playground.
Ms Cartwright, 32, was found dead at Buffalo Creek Reserve in Hunters Hill, Sydney, by a council worker on October 3, 2018.
NSW Police launched Strike Force Winkurra to investigate her death and hunt for her killer.
Detectives arrested a 51-year-old man over Ms Cartwright’s death at Parramatta Police Station at about 12.45pm on Wednesday.
A man has been arrested over the death of Nicole Cartwright (pictured) whose body was found near a Sydney playground in October 2018
Ms Cartwright, 32, was found dumped in a park at Hunters Hill (pictured), on Sydney’s lower north shore, in the early hours of October 3, 2018
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed homicide detectives had narrowed their hunt to a group of men who were all sexually involved with Ms Cartwright in the days prior to her death.
Detectives were understood to have identified a prime suspect after obtaining DNA evidence linking the man to moving her bruised and battered body.
Ms Cartwright was a known user of fetish and online dating websites prior to her death.
A friend of Ms Cartwright said her social media posts became ‘increasingly dark’ in the lead-up to her death.
She was last seen on CCTV at Museum train station at 9.14pm on September 30.
Between September 27 and September 30 she travelled across the city, visiting Bondi Junction in the east and St Marys in the west.
Her body was discovered about 7.30am by a council worker who had arrived to open the park gates.
Ms Cartwright was suffering severe head injuries and had her hands tied when she was found.
Drag marks almost 30 metres in length were also located through the nearby park.
Ms Cartwright’s brother Ben said the last year the pain was ‘unimaginably difficult’ for he and his parents, who were still struggling to comprehend that she would never be coming home.
Ms Cartwright had been regularly using sexual fetish websites in the lead up to her death. It is through these sites that she met the group of men whose DNA was discovered on her body
The gruesome discovery was made by a council worker at Buffalo Creek Reserve on Sydney’s lower north shore about 7.30am on October 3, 2018
‘We grieve daily for Nicole and the life she never got to live,’ he said at a police press conference last year.
‘We’d like to thank the community, friends and family for how supportive they have been. We are forever grateful and it’s clear she was loved by many.’
Ms Cartwright’s parents Terry and Brenda only reported her missing after seeing news reports on the day her body was found.
Just 24 hours later they were told the devastating news.
There was an outpouring of emotion in the aftermath of Ms Cartwright’s death, with several community vigils held at the park where she died.
A community vigil was held for Ms Cartwright at Buffalo Creek Reserve in the days after she was killed