A close friend of the Melbourne teenager Isla Bell says her “heart cries out” for the 19-year-old after she was allegedly murdered, as she remembers Ms Bell as a “beautiful soul sister”.
Ms Bell was last seen leaving her home in Brunswick at around 6pm on October 4, but reportedly remained in contact with a friend until shortly after midnight on October 7.
Human remains, suspected to be those of the missing 19-year-old but have yet to be formally identified, were discovered at a waste management facility in Dandenong on Tuesday morning.
Marat Ganiev, 53, was charged with murdering Ms Bell on October 7 in St Kilda East, while Eyal Yaffe, 57, is accused of assisting an offender after the fact after police raided two properties in Bentleigh East and Mulgrave.
Court documents obtained by Daily Mail Australia revealed that, before her death, Bell had told a friend she had “found the best sugar daddy” who had “lavished her with gifts.”
Her friend Pixie Rivalland remembered Ms Bell as her “beautiful kindred spirit” in a powerful post.
“My heart screams for you,” Rivalland wrote.
‘I love you a lot.’
Isla Bell was allegedly murdered. His body was found at a Dandenong landfill site on Tuesday morning.
Bell had a “vibrant soul,” a “loving heart” and an “unforgettable spirit,” and Rivalland posted a separate tribute to the Help Us Find Bell Island Facebook group.
“This world was very lucky to have his presence,” Rivalland wrote.
‘I feel like a piece of my soul is gone. Isla was kind, gentle, loving, intelligent and ambitious.’ Mrs Rivalland continued, writing that Mrs Bell had ‘hopes and dreams’ and ‘so many things to do, places to go and people to see’.
“Isla loved nature and animals, she loved exploring and making memories, she loved being an aunt, she loved her family and she loved this world, despite its cruelty,” Rivalland said.
‘Isla fiercely loved and protected everyone who was close to her. He would move mountains for his loved ones.
He wrote that Mrs. Bell’s “strength and kindness were unique” and that she deserved to celebrate her 20th birthday with friends and family.
“We want Isla to be remembered for the woman she was, not for what happened to her,” he wrote.
‘I will love you forever.’
Mrs Bell has been remembered as a “kind, gentle, loving, intelligent and ambitious” woman by her “soul sister”.
According to a police case summary released by the court, Ms Bell was allegedly caught on CCTV entering Mr Ganiev’s apartment in St Kilda at around 9.30pm on October 5 and was not seen leaving.
Police allege that at around 12:43am on October 7, footage captured a fight through a gap in a kitchen window, and Bell was seen falling to the ground.
“Investigators observed what appears to be Bell’s head spinning as if it had been struck,” the report states.
CCTV footage allegedly shows Ganiev cleaning thoroughly over the next few days before Yaffe arrived with a black refrigerator on October 9.
The refrigerator allegedly remained in Ganiev’s apartment for eight days before Yaffe helped him remove it wrapped in plastic on October 17.
It was allegedly moved to various locations in Melbourne before a man found the fridge and opened it.
The document alleges that a bag fell and the man threw it into a trash container, believing it to be animal remains.
According to the summary, Ganiev allegedly claimed that he did not kill Bell, but rather used the refrigerator to transport her remains after she died in his home.
He allegedly told police during his interview that he did not have sexual relations with her or buy her gifts.
The summary alleges that Yaffe told police he helped deliver a new refrigerator to Ganiev and helped him dump the old one 300 yards from his home in a pickup truck on the sidewalk without knowing its contents.
During his brief court appearance, Ganiev was slumped and rubbing his face as his lawyer Adrian Lewin noted that his client had been prescribed methadone and had not received a dose in two days.
The court was told Yaffe intended to apply for bail but would instead seek to be released at a hearing on Friday.
He was brought into court on Wednesday afternoon, smiling and nodding at his family members as solicitor Ian Hill KC requested that a nurse attend to Mr Yaffe for a back problem.