A Chinese university student believed to have been stabbed to death by her partner told friends days earlier that she planned to leave him and then told him she no longer wanted to be in a relationship.
The 21-year-old woman was found dead inside a unit of a high-rise apartment building on Conder Street in Burwood, in Sydney’s central west, on Monday morning.
Her partner, also 21, is suspected of stabbing her before jumping to his death from a balcony.
NSW Police were called to the apartment block on Monday to carry out a welfare check after a resident found the man’s half-naked body lying in a flowerbed in the complex’s courtyard.
The young woman is believed to have recently returned to China before returning to Australia.
She told her friends last weekend that she wanted to leave her boyfriend, The Telegraph newspaper reported.
The couple, who were living in Australia on student visas, were reportedly heard arguing shortly before their deaths.
A New South Wales Police spokesperson told the Daily Mail that Australian officers will investigate whether there was a history of domestic violence between the couple.
A friend of the deceased woman, who was interviewed by police on Monday night, told officers that the victim wanted to leave her partner.
The 21-year-old woman was found dead inside an apartment in Burwood, in Sydney’s central west, on Monday morning (pictured, forensic officers at the scene)
The woman is believed to have informed her boyfriend a few days ago that she no longer wanted to have a relationship with him.
Police remained at the crime scene on Tuesday.
CCTV footage from inside the apartment complex showed the pair engaged in what appeared to be a verbal argument in the early hours of Monday morning.
Police had also previously reviewed footage from the same incident, which showed the man entering the complex with two other women.
A careful examination of the footage led officers to the unit the group was seen entering.
Police forced their way inside and discovered the woman’s body with stab wounds.
Police believe the woman may have been stabbed between early Monday morning and 9.30am.
Superintendent Christine McDonald said Monday that officers had recovered the suspected murder weapon from the unit.
“It’s too early to say whether this is domestic violence… but violence against anyone is not, and will not be, tolerated,” she said.
A resident of the apartment complex said she saw officers crouching over the man’s body from her balcony.
Police established a crime scene and covered the remains with a tent.
“It was pretty scary… then they covered it up before we could see much more,” the woman said.
A New South Wales Police spokesperson told the Daily Mail that Australian officers will investigate whether there was a history of domestic violence between the couple (pictured, forensic officers at the scene).
Another resident who lives nearby said he heard a “very loud clap” around 6 a.m.
“I wasn’t sure what it was but I didn’t hear anyone screaming. It was just quiet,” they told Daily Mail Australia.
‘(Then) around 8.15am I saw about eight police officers and three detectives.
“The police were there counting the balconies, there was a white cloth and then it started to rain so they put up a blue tent.”
The man was found naked from the waist down with injuries to his ankles and police are investigating the line of inquiry that he jumped from the building.
Detectives are also believed to be investigating whether the woman was allegedly sexually assaulted.
The Chinese consulate said it was assisting the woman’s relatives in China who had been informed of her death.
The consulate has been contacted for further comment.
An autopsy will be performed on both bodies in the coming days.
The woman’s partner, also 21, jumped to his death from a balcony at the apartment complex (pictured) and police discovered his body in the building’s courtyard.
Superintendent McDonald said the unit and individuals were not believed to be known to police.
The woman and man have not yet been formally identified.
Anyone with information is urged to contact local police or Crime Stoppers.
For 24-hour confidential support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.