Woman found dead in home identified
A woman found dead in her home in a bayside Melbourrne suburb on Thursday morning has been identified as Sandra Dobrila.
Police were called to the address on James Street in Mordialloc shortly before 11am on Thursday, where the bodies of a 41-year-old Mordialloc woman and a 38-year-old St Kilda man were found.
She is the 89th woman who has lost her life to violence this year.
Following her identification, tributes to Ms Dobrila have poured in, with a friend sharing a touching tribute via Australian Femicide Watch, an online page dedicated to sharing awareness against violence towards women and children, on Saturday.
“She had the most beautiful aura about her, spreading love and kindness wherever she went,” the friend said.
“Sandra was always the first to check on everyone around her, making sure they were OK.
“She was a beautiful, kind soul who didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
It’s understood Ms Dobrila and the St Kilda man were found in the open kitchen and dining area of the second storey of the Mordialloc property, the Herald Sun reported.
Police explained an associate of one of the deceased visited the Mordialloc address for a welfare check after one of the pair failed to show up to work. It’s understood Ms Dobrila moved into the unit a month earlier.
Neighbours reported hearing a “really distressing, bloodcurdling scream” shortly before 11am and ran outside, where they found a “distressed” woman making the grisly discovery.
“It’s a pretty distressing thing to hear … obviously that lady who screamed was very distressed,” neighbour Jade Lindsay told the Herald Sun.
“It was really loud from down the road.”
First officers on the scene were affected by the traumatic circumstances.
“It was traumatic for the first person who located the deceased … they are members of the community,” said Victoria Police Inspector Scott Dwyer.
The exact circumstances surrounding the incident is yet to be determined, however Inspector Dwyer said the major forensic investigation was “complex”.
Police confirmed detectives were not looking for anyone else in relation to the matter.
“Police also believe the parties involved were known to each other,” a spokesman for Victoria Police said.
