Single mum faces court accused of killing elderly woman and allegedly wrapping her body in plastic before dumping it in Melbourne’s Maribyrnong River
A woman accused of murdering an elderly woman and dumping her body in a river has appeared in court
The 49-year-old woman appeared in Melbourne District Court on Wednesday, where her lawyer successfully asked the court to withhold her identity.
Reporters were removed from the courtroom so her lawyer could speak privately with the magistrate about protecting his client.
The woman was arrested on Tuesday after the body of an elderly woman was found with a bag over her head and her legs bound with plastic in the Maribyrnong River.
The body of the unidentified woman was found floating in the river in Flemington on Sunday morning by a local fisherman. According to him, the woman was badly bruised.
Detectives from the homicide squad arrested the single mother and a 15-year-old boy from West Footscray. The pair were interviewed by police.
While the boy was released without charge, the woman was charged with murder and remanded in custody to appear.
Police suspect that the women knew each other.
The case will return to court behind closed doors on Wednesday afternoon.
Media organizations are expected to oppose a court-imposed gag order.
Meanwhile, detectives continue to appeal for anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage from the areas around Glasmis Rd in West Footscray or Smithfield Rd in Flemington, near Lynchs’ Bridge between 12pm on July 12 and 10.30am on July 14, to come forward.
“The police would also like to get in touch with people who observed suspicious activities in those areas during that period,” the police said in a statement.
Detectives are also investigating the discovery of a man’s body, found floating in the same river in Footscray just 90 minutes earlier.
Police have confirmed that the man’s death is not related to the woman’s death and that the case is not being treated as suspicious.
He has not yet been officially identified.
Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000
The water police were seen at the investigation on Sunday morning