Bomb development in hunt for killer as creepy video surfaces of shadowy figure driving away from units where nurse was found in a pool of blood – as police scramble to find clues
- CCTV footage shows a motorcyclist leaving the scene of the murder
- Sydney nurse Erin Gilbert fatally stabbed
- Police looking for a murder weapon
Police believe fleeting footage of a motorcyclist could be a major breakthrough in finding the killer of a nurse brutally stabbed multiple times in her home.
CCTV captured a ghostly image of a figure on a motorized bicycle leaving the Merrylands unit in western Sydney, where 42-year-old Erin Gilbert was found sprawled on the living room floor by her husband as he choked on her own blood.
Nicholas Gilbert called nearby paramedics 11:30 p.m. up Easter On Sunday, he frantically tried to save Erin’s life, but she died before paramedics arrived.
There was no sign of the attacker or the murder weapon, and investigators hoped the new footage could provide a key clue to the baffling mystery.
Officers meticulously searched the path the bike traveled, looking for a discarded knife.
CCTV footage shows a figure on a motorized bicycle leaving the scene where Sydney nurse Erin Gilbert was brutally stabbed to death
Erin Gilbert pictured with childhood best friend Shane Niquet (right)
Police sifted through the trash, inspected vehicles and indoor drains as the investigation into the “suspicious” death continues.
Police video provided to Daily Mail Australia shows officers closely searching the neighbourhood, including public parks.
Strike Force Trevelyan has been formed to investigate the mysterious details surrounding Mrs. Gilbert’s tragic death.
On Thursday, Daily Mail Australia revealed that the couple, who married in 2020, were desperately trying to have a baby.
Shane Niquet, Ms. Gilbert’s childhood best friend, said she had recently given up smoking to improve her chances of pregnancy.
“Erin had so many plans for her future,” Mr Niquet told Daily Mail Australia.
“She just quit smoking so she could start IVF again — she wanted a baby more than anything.”
Nicholas Gilbert (left) found his wife Erin (right) stabbed to death on Easter Sunday in their Merrylands unit
Mr Niquet said he and Ms Gilbert had been ‘inseparable’ since they met in Year 7.
He remembered her as a “strong-willed person” who always had a smile on her face and “tried to find the good” in everyone.
“I don’t know how I’ll manage without her. I talked to her all the time. I will miss her terribly,” he said.
Mr Niquet also explained that Mrs Gilbert was a qualified nurse and pathologist, but had a part-time job when she died.
Court documents revealed that the Gilberts were struggling financially and had legal battles with two landlords over unpaid rent.
Two court orders from the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal direct the Gilberts to pay more than $8,850 in back rent to their landlords.
There is no suggestion that the rent owed is in any way related to Mrs. Gilbert’s death.
In October, the couple were evicted from their home on Victoria Road in Parramatta after breaching their lease by failing to pay more than $7,780 in rent.
Police searched the Merrylands area on Thursday
A police officer inspects a caravan as part of their search for evidence
Police searched the surrounding neighborhood on Thursday in the ongoing search for Ms. Gilbert’s killer
Just a few months later, the Gilberts were ordered to pay back rent of more than $1060 on their current Merrylands home.
Ms. Gilbert was found dead in that apartment just days after the court order was issued.
She and her husband were on the verge of being evicted from their home in July if they failed to pay back their rent.
Mr Gilbert collapsed on Wednesday when he told Nine News that his wife was his ‘better half’ and his ‘world’.
“She just completed me, I miss everything about her,” he said.
Anyone with information that could assist Strike Force Trevelyan investigators is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
A friend, Ms Gilbert’s, said the pair have been ‘inseparable’ since they met in Year 7