Keys to solving Botany woman’s murder revealed, as locals tell of ‘awful smell’ they ignored

Locals in Botany have said they had noticed an “awful smell” at a park where a woman’s body was found wrapped in plastic.

DNA and dental records are likely to be key in identifying the body of a woman found wrapped in plastic and dumped in a park, with local walkers saying they had noticed an “awful smell” but assumed it was from a nearby factory.

NSW Police are continuing in their efforts to try and determine the age, ethnicity and ultimately identity, of the woman whose “severely decomposed” body was discovered by a jogger in Sir Joseph Banks Park, just off Foreshore Dr in Sydney’s south-east, on Monday.

It is understood that the state of the “mystery woman” was so bad that not only was the smell the first thing that alerted the jogger to the presence of a body, but that when police arrived it then took hours for investigators just to determine if the body was of a male or female.

Police at the crime scene on Foreshore Rd in Botany where the body of a woman was found wrapped in plastic. Picture: Damian Shaw

Locals have been left shocked by the grim discovery at the popular park, with one woman saying she recalled the smell but never thought it would be a body.

“There was an awful smell there... we just thought it was from the recycling facility next door,” the woman wrote.

Homicide Squad detectives have taken the lead on the case, but police sources said heat followed by heavy rains have likely increased the rate of decomposition, and made their initial investigations significantly harder.

Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said in the hours after the body was found they believed the woman’s killer attempted to “hide” their crime by wrapping her in plastic.

NSW Police Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said the investigation into the “mystery woman” was ongoing. Picture: NewsWire/ Monique Harmer

“Unfortunately the body was in a severe state of decomposition, so that makes the timeline a bit more difficult, so we’re looking at days or weeks that the body may have been there,” Detective Superintendent Doherty said.

“The body was covered in plastic in an attempt to hide the body … not far from the footpath … and at this stage we are treating it as a suspicious death, for obvious reasons.

“The identity (of the dead woman) is still unknown, it is still early days in the investigation.”

The Homicide Squad is leading the investigation into the woman’s death. Picture: Damian Shaw

Strike Force Zygon was commenced by the State Crime Command following the discovery of the body and police have appealed for help from the public, particularly those who are missing a loved one or friend.

Det Supt Doherty said he hoped help in identifying the “mystery woman” would enable them to catch her killer quickly.

“There may be people out there who are missing a loved one … we don’t know what age the woman is so it may be someone’s mother, daughter, loved one or friend.”