The grief-stricken husband of a woman found face down in a pool of blood in their home has broken his silence as a strike force is formed to investigate her gruesome death.
Paramedics were called to a unit at Merrylands in western Sydney late on Easter Sunday after the lifeless body of Erin Gilbert, 42, was found by her husband, Nic, in their living room.
Mr. Gilbert performed CPR and paramedics rushed to resuscitate her, but she could not be saved.
Mr. Gilbert assisted police with their investigation on Sunday evening and has been released without charge.
Mr Gilbert has since taken to Facebook to pay tribute to his late wife and updated his biography to say: ‘I was heartbroken and then I found my best, my other half.
“Without you bub… I love you.”
An earlier gushing post – published in May 2019 and dedicated to Ms Gilbert and their pet cat Bonnie – hinted that someone had tried to ‘come between them’.
Erin Gilbert’s lifeless body was found in a pool of blood by her husband Nic at their home in Merrylands. Pictured is the couple on their wedding day
Ms. Gilbert’s body was discovered face down in a pool of blood in a unit block (forensic police pictured)
“They are my world and without them I would be lost,” wrote Mr. Gilbert.
“To the horrible fake lonely person who keeps trying to get between us, well I suppose you remind us that we are so deeply in love that no matter what games you try to play or how good you are at them you won’t come between us.
“And the day you do, I promise you there will be no God to protect you from me!”
Mr. Gilbert spoke fondly of his future wife that same year, saying, “I fell in love because after getting to know you I realized I wanted to make you a permanent part of my world.”
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that Mr. Gilbert or the unknown ‘lone person’ is responsible for Ms. Gilbert’s death.
The couple were both known to the police for ‘small business’.
Detectives have launched Strike Force Trevelyan to get to the bottom of what happened in Ms Gilbert’s final hours at her home on Sunday night.
“We definitely think something happened on Sunday night … when the police arrived, she hadn’t long died,” Cumberland Police Superintendent Andrew Holland told reporters on Tuesday.
“Erin was home that night in her apartment building…we know neighbors heard her in the apartment building, she spoke that night.
“We’re just concerned that someone else has been on the block with her.”
“We need to know what happened, who was there.”
Erin Gilbert’s husband’s Facebook page is full of lavish tributes to her
Erin Gilbert’s husband (pictured with Erin) has been questioned by police and released without charge
Supt Holland revealed that her husband made the triple-0 call and has been “very cooperative” with police during their investigation.
He added that Ms. Gilbert’s family has asked for privacy and that her partner is well known in the local community.
No one has been ruled out as a suspect. “Anyone who has lost a daughter can only imagine how hard it is for (the family),” Supt Holland said.
“People don’t realize that something they’ve seen days before can be a useful piece of information.
“We need a timeline of what happened before the incident.”
It is clear that the couple moved to Merrylands seven months ago.
“I knew her and her husband, they were pretty quiet people,” a shocked neighbor told the Daily Telegraph.
“I sew and she came up to me and asked if I could teach her how to sew, so that’s what we did.”
Erin and her partner were dating when he shared this gushing post in 2019
He also hinted at the time that someone had tried to come between him and Erin
Forensic police found a blood-stained sock at the crime scene
A crime scene was extensively investigated by the specialized forensic police on Monday.
Forensic officers swarmed the block of the unit, watching them take swabs from the balcony railing and into the doorway.
A circular rainbow rug hung over the railing, while the balcony was filled with other items, including a telescope, a wooden jewelry box, and a number of plastic containers.
Forensic officers dressed in blue security suits sealed a number of items from the home in brown evidence bags as uniformed officers watched.
One bag was marked “mascara found next to deceased on bed in bedroom” and stacked against the wall of the block with at least five others.
Officers were also seen closely inspecting the open entrance beneath the apartment, one of them holding a blood-soaked sock.
It is clear that sheets and a comforter in the house were also stained with blood.
Police have established a crime scene at the address and the woman’s cause of death is under investigation.
Police released a photo of Erin Gilbert (pictured) as an investigation into her death by strike forces was launched
Strike Force Trevelyan is set up to investigate Erin Gilbert’s death. Pictured are police at the crime scene on Monday
It is clear that Mrs. Gilbert’s body was found on a bed and the incident is being treated as a murder