Sisters found dead in Canterbury unit likely died in a suicide pact

Two months after the grisly discovery of Asra and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli’s bodies inside a Sydney unit, police believe a suicide pact was behind their deaths.

A suicide pact is believed to be behind the mysterious death of two Saudi sisters inside a Sydney unit.

Bottles of chemicals and other substances found beside the bodies of Asra Abdallah Alsehli, 24, and her sister Amaal, 23, have led police to believe the women planned their deaths.

Interim toxicology results showed traces of those substances in the women’s bodies, but further testing is being carried out by specialist pathology labs before an exact cause of death can be ruled by a coroner.

The bodies of the reclusive sisters were found in separate beds at their Canterbury unit on June 7. Both women were fully clothed.

But police believe they could have been dead for up to six weeks due to the advanced state of decomposition they were found in.

The last confirmed sighting of the sisters was in early April when they let a tradesman into their unit, while a real estate agent said he spoke to one of the women about unpaid rent later that month.

Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, is believed to have died after making a suicide pact with her older sister Asra, 24. Picture: Supplied

Asra Abdullah Alsehli and her sister Amaal lived reclusive lives since arriving in Australia in 2017. Police said funds were drying up and they believe the pair died in a death pact.

“There’s no indication of anyone else being in the unit...no forced entry. It really does appear to be a tragic suicide,” a senior police source said.

Non-perishable food items, a bottle of bleach and clothing were among the items found in the bedrooms of the sparsely furnished Canterbury Rd property.

A computer was found and seized for forensic testing.

Despite widespread media coverage and an appeal for information at the request of a coroner, police said they still know very little about the pair who arrived in Australia as teenagers in 2017.

Investigators have been unable to confirm any recent employment for either woman, and bank records showed funds were drying up, police said.

NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal records showed the pair was being pursued for more than $5,000 in unpaid rent.

A black BMW coupe seized by police after the bodies were found is expected to be sold to recoup some of the debt owed to the landlord.

Police pictured preparing to enter an apartment building on the corner of Canterbury Road and Canton Street in Canterbury where bodies of two women were found deceased. Picture: Damian Shaw

The car, which had been vandalised in the weeks before the sisters were last seen alive, remains in a police holding yard.

The Daily Telegraph revealed the sisters’ family in Saudi Arabia had made no plans to fly the bodies home or arrange a burial in Australia.

The NSW Coroner’s court said a burial can be arranged from a deceased person’s finances, but if there are not the funds to do that, a state funded burial can be sought.