Detectives probe dating apps in search for Hunters Hill killer
DETECTIVES investigating the murder of Sydney woman Nicole Cartwright are looking closely at the people she met through dating apps in the days before her death.
NSW
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THE online dating activity of murder victim Nicole Cartwright is being investigated by police in the hope of turning up new clues to her killer.
Homicide detectives are looking closely at the people Ms Cartwright met through dating apps in the days before her death.
While it is understood detectives have not unearthed any solid leads from her Tinder history, they are now examining other singles apps and chat sites on which she was active.
Ms Cartwright’s body was found by a council worker wrapped in an orange blanket at Buffalo Creek Reserve at Hunters Hill, on Sydney’s north shore, early on October 3. Her hands were bound and there were drag marks in the dirt.
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But while police have been able to trace her to Museum railway station in Sydney’s CBD on the night of September 30, her movements between then and when her body was found remain a mystery.
She is known to have been using a number of dating sites and police believe she may have met with several people she first encountered online in the days before she died.
Ms Cartwright, 32, lived at home with her parents in Lansvale, in Sydney’s southwest, but was an avid user of the city’s public transport system, often spending time around the CBD and Eastern Suburbs.
Homicide Squad detectives used her Opal card to retrace her last trips on the train. On September 29, she travelled between Bondi Junction and St Marys and the next night she was tracked to Strathfield, Central, Ashfield and finally Museum train stations.
The last image Ms Cartwright’s family have of her is a selfie she captured at Maroubra Beach on September 28.
Homicide Squad commander Detective Superintendent Scott Cook said Ms Cartwright’s body was likely dumped late at night on October 2 or the following morning.
“We don’t have a cause of death at this stage but she did suffer injuries,” he said last week.
“Suffice to say they’re consistent with assault, she was bound, with hands in front of her body.”
Ms Cartwright had a distinct style and vibrant personality which police hope may help people recall seeing her earlier this month.
She was wearing a pink beanie, a unique purple collar around her neck and carried an orange and green bag when she arrived at Museum train station on September 30.
She was wearing the same clothing when he body was found by a council worker near a child’s playground.