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The young woman found murdered in a Melbourne park has been identified

Police have identified the young woman who was found murdered in a Melbourne park, sparking a manhunt for the 25-year-old’s killer.

Staff writers and AAP
3 min read
May 27, 2019 - 5:39AM
Young woman found dead in Melbourne Park

The woman found dead in a Melbourne park after a horrific bashing has been identified as 25-year-old Courtney Herron.

Homicide squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said extreme violence was inflicted on Ms Herron and it’s not known if there was one or more attackers.

“The level of violence involved here was extreme in my view,” he told reporters on Sunday.

“This was a particularly, particularly horrendous attack.”

Investigators believe Ms Herron was bashed just hours before her body was found about 9.25am on Saturday by dog walkers in Royal Park.

Insp. Stamper said there had been some attempts made to conceal the body.

He said police had no evidence as yet that it was a sexually-motivated crime or if a weapon was used.

Ms Herron had been couch surfing and sleeping rough for some time while struggling with drug and mental health issues, Insp. Stamper said.

The last confirmed sighting of her was on May 14 at St Albans when she came into contact with the police.

Her family have been told of her death.

Friends have paid tribute to Ms Herron, describing her as “beautiful” and a “great friend’.

Police want to hear from anyone who might have information.

“We’ve spoken to a number of rough sleepers who were in that area at the time,” Insp. Stamper said.

“They have been helpful with us in building that picture.

“There’s still a lot of gaps in terms of what actually happened in the park. So we need information from the public in terms of times, if they have seen something, that will enable us to sort of narrow down a lot of our inquiries and focus on, you know, whether it be CCTV, public transport, as I say, these are all issues in play at the moment.”

Ms Herron’s death has again sparked anger in Melbourne, with police and the premier calling for men’s attitudes to women to change.

“This is a terrible tragedy,” Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Sunday. The premier, who delivered Australia’s first royal commission into family violence last term, said while the state had made significant progress on violence against women, there was more to be done.

Courtney Herron was found dead in Royal Park in Melbourne yesterday afternoon.
Courtney Herron was found dead in Royal Park in Melbourne yesterday afternoon.

“This is not about the way women behave, this is not about where women are at what hour,” he said.

“This is most likely about the behaviour of men.” It’s a sentiment echoed by Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius, who on Saturday told reporters Melbourne was a safe city but attitudes against women needed to change.

“What is it in our community that allows some men to think that it’s still okay to attack women or take from women what they want?” he said. “Violence against women is absolutely about men’s behaviour.” Members of the public have started to lay floral tributes at the site where her body was found.

Police search at crime scene in Royal Park South, Parkville. Picture: Tim Carrafa
Police search at crime scene in Royal Park South, Parkville. Picture: Tim Carrafa

Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said on Saturday officers were trying to work out how she was killed.

The park is one of Melbourne’s busiest by day and used by rough sleepers at night and police have appealed for anyone who saw anything on Friday night or the early hours of Saturday to come forward.

It is also a short distance from Princes Park, where aspiring comedian Eurydice Dixon’s body was found on June 12 last year.

The death is the latest in a series of women killed and dumped on Melbourne’s streets since Ms Dixon’s rape and murder.

Aiia Maasarwe, 21, suffered a similar fate to Ms Dixon after being attacked on her walk home near La Trobe University on January 15.

Both women were attacked by men they did not know.

Jaymes Todd, 19, has pleaded guilty to the murder and rape of Ms Dixon and will return to court in August, while Codey Herrmann, 20, has been charged with attacking Ms Maasarwe.

And in April Natalina Angok’s body was found dumped in Chinatown, allegedly killed by her one-time partner Christopher Allen who has been charged.

A woman’s body has been found near tennis courts in Royal Park near Flemington Rd, Melbourne. Picture: Tim Carrafa
A woman’s body has been found near tennis courts in Royal Park near Flemington Rd, Melbourne. Picture: Tim Carrafa
A woman’s body was found near tennis courts in Royal Park, Melbourne. Picture: AAP Image/James Ross.
A woman’s body was found near tennis courts in Royal Park, Melbourne. Picture: AAP Image/James Ross.
Police are seen at a staging point in Royal Park, Melbourne, after a woman's body was found at Parkville. Picture: AAP Image/James Ross.
Police are seen at a staging point in Royal Park, Melbourne, after a woman's body was found at Parkville. Picture: AAP Image/James Ross.

In an interview with the ABC, a coach from nearby North Park Tennis Club said the discovery was “confronting”.

“It’s very bad … it’s pretty confronting,” tennis coach Gabriel Moise said.

“It is fairly dark in the morning. When I open up here [at the tennis courts] it’s pitch black.

The exact cause of death was yet to be determined, with police saying an investigation was ongoing.

Social media users have been quick to mourn the death of another woman in Melbourne after a series of tragic cases have hit the headlines over the past year.

“This just keeps on happening,” one person said of the situation.

“I read this and beg, no. Please no. Not another woman,” another added.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/news/national/womans-body-found-near-tennis-courts-inside-melbourne-park/news-story/822ff6e3750de9e4c9537be2ad084f52