Australian police have opened a murder investigation after the half-naked body of a woman wearing a dog collar was discovered close to a children’s playground in Sydney.
A council worker made the gruesome discovery at Buffalo Creek Reserve, a park in the affluent Hunter’s Hill area of northern Sydney, early on Wednesday morning.
The ABC reports that detectives are “looking at the possibility of it being a domestic violence incident”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The deceased woman was partially dressed, in what police described as dark polka-dot clothing. “It is understood that the woman's hands were bound when she was found, and there was a restraint around her neck,” says the Sydney Morning Herald. Several media outlets have since reported this restraint to be a large pink or purple dog collar.
The Daily Mail reports that the woman appeared to have experienced “massive head injuries”, although police have not publicly confirmed what, if any, injuries have been found on the body.
As police cordoned off the area around the playground, “forensic officers examined what appear to be drag marks stretching 30 metres across the path leading towards where the body was found”, SBS reports.
“We are treating it as suspicious,” Detective Superintendent David Waddell told reporters. “At this stage, it's definitely suspicious.”
He added that the investigation is still in “very early stages” and that the police are yet to formally identify the woman. A post-mortem will be carried out to shed further light on the cause of death.
-
The problem with diagnosing profound autismThe Explainer Experts are reconsidering the idea of autism as a spectrum, which could impact diagnoses and policy making for the condition
-
What to know before filing your own taxes for the first timethe explainer Tackle this financial milestone with confidence
-
The biggest box office flops of the 21st centuryin depth Unnecessary remakes and turgid, expensive CGI-fests highlight this list of these most notorious box-office losers
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
