Israeli student, 23, is identified as the murder victim found outside a Melbourne shopping centre as police investigate whether stalker raped and killed her after following her off a tram
- A woman’s body was found near a popular shopping centre in north Melbourne
- Woman is believed to a 23-year-old Israeli student in Australia on a scholarship
- Detectives are investigating if the student was stalked from a tram and raped
A woman found dead outside a Melbourne shopping centre has been identified as an Israeli student studying in Australia.
The woman’s partially naked body was found by window washers in scrub outside the Polaris shopping centre on Main Drive near Plenty Road in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora at 7am on Wednesday.
Israeli media have named the woman as 23-year-old Aya Masarwa although that has not been confirmed.
According to the reports, she previously lived in China and was studying in Australia on a scholarship.
A woman whose body was found outside a shopping centre was an Israeli international student studying in Australia
The woman’s partially naked body was found by window washers in scrub outside the Polaris shopping centre on Main Drive near Plenty Road in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora at 7am on Wednesday (pictured)
Shoes and a mobile phone were found nearby, as well as an abandoned vehicle on Main Drive with its hazard lights on.
During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said it was apparent the women had been assaulted.
Detective Inspector Stamper said the 23-year-old may have been followed as she boarded the 86 tram from the city around 11pm on Tuesday.
CCTV is expected to become the main focus of the investigation as police work to piece together the victim’s final movements.
Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said it was apparent the woman had been assaulted
CCTV is expected to become the main focus of the investigation as police work to piece together the victim’s final movements
‘We really need the community’s assistance with this. We would ask for anyone that may have dashcam footage, CCTV, may have seen anything here, anything that could be a small piece in the jigsaw puzzle to contact Crime Stoppers,’ he said.
He has urged anyone with information to come forward.
‘Anyone that may have been passing through this intersection, dash cam footage, or may have just seen something they think might help, call us.’