Mum's stalker 'not a serious threat' before she was found dead at home
A 39-year-old woman has been found dead with her throat slashed and her baby son sleeping nearby.
NSW Police are now looking into Kristie Powell’s social media posts about a stalker who called himself The Reaper.
Despite sending 100 messages a day saying ‘Die, Kristie, Die’, he was not considered a serious threat to her safety by police.
Ms Powell had given birth to her first child, Slater, just five months ago – but now she will never see him grow up.
A friend found her body in the hallway of her home in Bellambi, a suburb of Wollongong, just after 1am on Friday morning.
The killer had cut the mother’s throat while her son Slater slept in the next room.
Police say the front door was torn from its hinges.
Forensic officers spent the day examining the scene while other police scoured the neighbourhood looking for a weapon.
The victim, whom neighbours described as “lovely” and “very quiet”, ran a dog daycare business from home.
On Facebook she wrote of an obsessed ex-employee who sent her up to 100 messages a day.
“He needs serious help, but the mental health system just keep releasing him,” she wrote.
She added that she had reported him to police but they had not acted because he was considered “non-threatening.”
Wollongong Police Detective Superintendent Brad Ainsworth said the Facebook posts would form part of the homicide investigation.
Ms Powell’s baby was taken to hospital to be checked over but doctors confirmed he had not been hurt.
He is now in the care of his grandparents at nearby Bulli.
