Police reveal identity of lover they want to question over woman's death

Police in Sydney have requested assistance from their South American counterparts to locate the former lover of a Brazilian woman found dead at Woolwich on the weekend.

Detectives have described Mario Marcelo Santoro as a “person of interest” following the suspicious death of Brazilian businesswoman Cecilia Haddad, whose body was found in Lane Cove River on Sunday.

He is believed to have left Australia over the weekend, with friends telling police he brought his flight forward by several days.

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Mr Santoro and Ms Haddad both worked as community support workers at disability service provider Hireup after mid-2017, their LinkedIn profiles reveal.

They attended the same university in Brazil, according to their online resumes.

As yet there are no suspects in the case, but Mr Santoro, as well as other Sydney-based friends and associates, are persons of interest.