A woman’s body has been found in the toilets at a school gym, which has been described as confronting for the police who arrived, as her death is being treated as a homicide.
Emergency services were called to St Andrew’s Cathedral School, on Kent and Bathurst streets in the CBD, just before midnight on Wednesday to reports of a concern for welfare.
Officers from Sydney City police area command went to the school and found the body of the woman in her 20s who is yet to be formally identified. A crime scene has been established and was being forensically examined on Thursday morning.
On Thursday morning, a second crime scene was established in Vaucluse, near Diamond Bay Reserve, as investigators search for a man aged in his early 20s, who works at the school, and will determine if it is linked to the woman’s death. Police helicopters have been circling the area.
Superintendent Martin Fileman said the woman had serious head injuries.
“The actual scene itself was quite confronting for the police who turned up,” he said.
Fileman confirmed police attended a property in Vaucluse they believed was linked to the crime scene and were searching for a male staff member who they believe could assist with inquiries.
“We don’t want to make any assumptions of the fact that that person may have taken his own life but that’s just another line of inquiry we’re looking at at the moment,” he said.
He also said the pair were known to each other.
“There’s nothing to indicate that there was any domestic violence, any [apprehended violence orders] or anything between both of them.”
A post-mortem examination would be conducted to formally determine the cause of the woman’s death.
“From her injuries, it was apparent that she was a victim of homicide,” Fileman said.
A woman’s body was found at St Andrew’s Cathedral School just before midnight on Wednesday.Credit: Nick Moir
Local detectives, with assistance from the State Crime Command’s homicide squad, have commenced an investigation into the woman’s death under Strike Force Trineura.
In a message to parents on Thursday morning, St Andrew’s Cathedral School confirmed the school would be closed on Thursday and Friday “due to a critical incident”.
A second message to parents confirmed no students were involved in the incident.
“Police are currently conducting an investigation in the SAH building. We will keep you updated,” the text stated.
The head of St Andrew’s, Dr Julie McGonigle, said in an email to parents that the school continued to work with police following an onsite death overnight.
“I realise you will have a lot of questions, but we do not have the authority to release further details – this information will come through police at the appropriate time in their investigation,” she said.
She informed parents that IB and HSC exams would go ahead at a separate campus on Thursday and Friday.
“We have also brought our school counsellors onsite so if parents or students require additional support, this can be delivered by professionals,” she said.
Police have established a crime scene at Diamond Bay in Vaucluse.Credit: Nick Moir
In a statement, the school confirmed the only students onsite were those sitting exams in the third week of HSC.
“We ask that the media does not seek to interrupt their concentration or state of mind as they sit exams that are significant for their graduation,” a spokesperson said.
More to come
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