Australian academic Lily Pereg and her sister Pyrhia Sarusi found in shallow grave in Argentina
The husband of murdered NSW university professor Lily Pereg has described his wife as having the “soul of an angel”. Mr Finlay is back at home in Armidale after spending two weeks looking for his beloved in Argentina before her remains were found alongside those of her sister in a shallow grave in Mendoza.
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John Finlay who spent two weeks in Argentina looking for his beloved partner Lily Pereg yesterday spoke to Channel 7 back at the couple’s Armidale home.
He said she had the “soul of an angel”.
“It’s a nightmare that won’t go away,” he said yesterday.
“Lily was a beautiful soul and I probably will never find someone as loving as Lily again actually.”
The remains of the University of New England microbiology professor and those of her sister Pyrhia Sarusi, 63, were found Saturday local time in a shallow grave in near the city of Mendoza, more than 1000km west of Buenos Aires.
Professor Pereg’s nephew has been charged with the murder of his aunt and mother.
Family and friends say the 54-year-old professor had “weirdly” stopped replying to daily messages about two weeks before she was found dead.
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The bodies were buried on a lot beside the house of Ms Sarusi’s son Gilad Pereg, 36, according to Argentina prosecutor Claudia Rios.
Pereg was arrested on Friday and formally charged a day later with the aggravated homicide of his mother and the simple homicide of his aunt following the discovery.
“We the family, are shocked. Gilad Pereg, Pyrchia Sarusi’s son, standing accused of murdering his Monther and Aunt [sic],” the women’s family said in a statement on GoFundMe.
“We the family are in awe and humbled by the outpouring of support and love, worldwide.
Your love carried us and will help us recover from a huge tragedy. There will never be an explanation.”
The family had been using the website to try to raise funds to help find the sisters and had so far collected more than $7500. The funds will now be donated to charity.
The Israeli-born women vanished around January 11 after travelling to Mendoza to visit Gilad, who had been living in Argentina for more than 10 years.
Mr Pereg was arrested after bloodstains were found on a shirt and bag of cement in his apartment in Mendoza.
Officers also reportedly found four guns, as well as $80,000 in various currencies, and dozens of cats and dogs.
Argentinian newspaper La Nacion reports sources as saying the murders were “committed with extreme cruelty”, adding that the state of their bodies was so poor that their individual identities have not yet been confirmed.
La Nacion says it has obtained an advanced copy of the autopsy report from the prosecutors office, stating one of the women had been shot three times. The second body had not been shot, but showed wounds consistent with attempts to fend off heavy blows.
The report adds that the women, once deceased, were staked ‘in different parts’ with iron spikes.
Prosecutors say DNA tests are being conducted to establish their identities, and are expected to be completed ‘in the next few hours’.
Ms Pereg, a microbial ecologist who specialised in plant and soil research, was appointed a full professor at UNE just 10 days before she travelled to South America.
Born in Israel, Dr Pereg studied science for her bachelor’s degree in Tel Aviv, and then completed a Master’s degree in Israel.
She moved to Australia in the mid 1990s and was attached to the Department of Agricultural Science at Sydney University where she completed her PhD.
Dr Pereg later moved to the University of New England.
According to Argentinian media reports police have located film footage of the two sisters entering the main shed at Mr Pereg’s property but there is no film record or witness accounts of them leaving.
The last time the two women contacted family members in Israel and Australia was on January 12.
Mr Pereg reported his mother and aunt missing on January 14 and asked for help in the search for the pair.
“I have no idea what happened, I am not a fortune-teller,” Pereg told reporters, adding that there were many criminals on the loose in Mendoza.
Prosecutor Claudia Rios said Pereg had been charged with aggravated homicide in the death of his mother and simple homicide in the murder of his aunt.
She also said that Mr Pereg said after his arrest, that if he were not permitted to go home and feed his cats, “you will find another body”.
Mr Pereg was sent for a psychological evaluation.
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