By Penry Buckley, Amber Schultz, Jessica McSweeney and Riley Walter
The partner of a woman seen “hanging” from a seventh-storey balcony in Sydney’s west moments before her death on Thursday morning has been released without charge after spending several hours in custody.
Speaking outside Parramatta police station on Thursday afternoon, Detective Superintendent Barry Vincent said the death was being treated as suspicious but that details were “complex”.
“Police received calls ... that a female person was hanging from the balcony,” he said.
The woman, believed to be aged 39, and her partner, 40, have yet to be identified.
The man had an apprehended violence order in place for his protection. He was arrested on Thursday before being released without charge pending further investigations into his partner’s death.
“In terms of the relationship, there were previous interactions with the police,” Vincent said.
Police were called at 11.45pm by someone in the apartment on River Road West in Parramatta, where only background noise, including raised voices, could be heard.
Police at the Parramatta apartment block.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
The phone number from which the call was made did not belong to the man.
Police called back twice and spoke to the man, who provided his name and address. They told the man they would attend the apartment later that evening.
At 1.40am, police received calls from a passerby that a woman was “hanging” from her balcony. Police arrived within minutes and the woman was found lying in the driveway with multiple serious injuries.
Despite the efforts of police officers who performed CPR on the woman, she died at the scene.
The scene at Parramatta on Thursday morning.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
Vincent said a strike force had been established to investigate the circumstances of the fall and the police response. He said the two-hour delay between the first call and their attendance would be investigated, but the initial call didn’t warrant an emergency response.
Neighbour Michael Wehbe said he heard a single, female scream after midnight on Thursday.
“It was just like a single yelp, that sort of thing,” he said.
“After that, I just woke up this morning to see what happened here.”
Neighbour Sai Pamula said he heard a “loud smash” and a crash through the trees early in the morning before later seeing the woman on the ground.
“I saw police doing CPR and she was not breathing,” he said.
Another neighbour also saw emergency services performing CPR on the woman after she landed on the raised garden bed.
“It was pretty shocking to see [that] outside your own building,” he said, adding it was usually a quiet area.
Police are interviewing residents of the building as a crime scene is examined at street level. They are urging residents who heard anything or have further details to contact police.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 and lifeline.org.au.
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