Major update after woman was found dead near a river as her partner is charged with murder
A man has been charged with murder after the body of his partner was found near a riverbed in the Northern Territory early on Monday morning.
Patrick Jungala Nolan, 49, appeared in Alice Springs Local Court on Wednesday charged with one count of murder and one count of breaching a domestic violence order.
The 51-year-old woman was found unconscious near the Todd River.
Police previously said an edged weapon was used in the alleged incident.
Nolan was taken into custody Monday after contacting police and advising the woman was unresponsive around 12:20 p.m.
Officers arrived 11 minutes later and attempted CPR, but the woman was pronounced dead a short time later.
The 51-year-old woman was found unconscious near the Todd River (pictured) in the NT
Police said this was the first alleged domestic violence homicide victim in the Northern Territory in 2025.
Between June and November 2024, eight Aboriginal women died as a result of domestic violence in the NT.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 7.6 times more likely to die from homicide than non-Indigenous women, according to violence prevention group Our Watch.