In the aftermath of the brutal murder of a young private school employee in Sydney, a body has been discovered during the police’s search for a missing man also associated with the school. The female victim, employed as a water polo coach at St Andrew’s Cathedral School, was found dead in the gymnasium toilets late on Wednesday night.
The police have been on the lookout for a man, also in his twenties and a sports coach at the prestigious private school, since the discovery of the woman’s body, bearing severe head injuries. It is understood that the two had been in a romantic relationship leading up to the tragic incident.
On Friday morning, the investigators were engaged in extracting a body found in the waters at Vaucluse, a suburb in eastern Sydney. Diamond Bay Reserve, a cliff-top location in the vicinity, had been cordoned off as a crime scene. However, it is yet to be confirmed if the body found is that of the man the police have been searching for.
Earlier, the detectives had indicated a possibility that the man might have committed suicide. This theory gained some credibility when items linked to the woman’s murder were found at the same reserve on Thursday. Despite harsh weather conditions, police helicopters and boats spent the day scanning the shoreline.
At the school, authorities have been interviewing witnesses and examining CCTV footage to piece together the events leading to the woman’s murder. Superintendent Martin Fileman described the scene that greeted the officers at the school as “confronting”, owing to the gravity of the woman’s injuries.
The Premier, Chris Minns, expressed his shock at the heinous crime, claiming it was one of the worst he had encountered in his public life, and he empathised with the grieving family.
A prayer service was held at the school that evening for staff, students, and families, and floral tributes in memory of the young staff member began appearing outside the building. The school will remain closed to students until the following week, and counselling services have been arranged for students and parents.
