‘Incredible’ Michaela Dunn had the world at her feet

Michaela Dunn, killed by Mert Ney in horrific circumstances on Tuesday was a student, traveller and much-loved friend.

Michaela Dunn pictured on a holiday in Sri Lanka.

A year ago, Michaela Dunn was donating pencils and books to kids at a remote school in Fiji.

Yesterday, the 24-year-old was remembered as an “incredible woman”, having lost her life in the most horrific of circumstances, ­allegedly at the hands of Mert Ney who is accused of slitting­ the throat of the sex worker just prior to his rampage through Sydney’s CBD. Her grieving mother yesterday described her daughter as a “beautiful, loving woman who had studied at university and travelled widely”.

Another relative said the family was “deeply shocked” by Ms Dunn’s death.

“We’re really upset and shocked­ by what’s happened,” the woman said.

“We’re grieving and trying to understand what happened.

“Michaela was very loved, that’s all we want to say right now.”

The family of Ms Dunn were grieving this morning with extended family and friends.

One man who said he was “effectively Uncle Ed” to Michaela said the family is in the midst of their grief.

“(The Dunns) have got a big extended family … (they’re not holding up well), but they’ll get there,” Ed told The Australian.

“The family is wanting to go through a private stage — there’s a few things that they still have to do but they have a lot of family and a lot of support,” Ed said.

Friends of the former Rosebank Catholic College student remembe­red Michaela as an “incredible­”, fun-loving woman with a passion for travel and cats, which she regularly posted about on social media.

Ms Dunn, who lived with friends in Marrickville in Sydney’s inner west, regularly went on holidays­ around the world while she completed her degree at the University of Notre Dame. Just four months ago, she was holidaying in California and shared photos on Instagram at the celebrity-studded music festival Coachella.

“Can’t believe that just ­happened,” she wrote on Instagram of her experience there.

She also shared photos celeb­rating the new year in Sri Lanka.

Last year, she travelled to Fiji with friends and was photographed smiling widely in front of a school after donating supplies to Fijian children.

“It made my heart melt,” Ms Dunn’s friend said on social media.

Before becoming a sex worker, Ms Dunn worked at a bowling alley, Tenpin City, in Sydney’s west.

Michaela Dunn is being remembered as an ‘incredible woman’.

“She was such a beautiful person­,” said Simon, who became friends with Ms Dunn and her sister­ after meeting them through work.

“She was a friendly, nice girl.”

Joan Westenberg, who had known Ms Dunn “since she was just a kid”, described her as an “incredible­” person.

“Mikki was like my baby sister. I cannot describe how sad and how broken I am at this moment. I loved this kid. She was incredible,” she said on Twitter yesterday.

“Sex work is work. She was working. She deserved to be safe while she worked.”

Residents in the Clarence House apartment building where Ms Dunn was carrying out her business on the fourth floor were still coming to terms yesterday with the murder that had taken place in the “very quiet” unit block.

A teddy bear and flowers had been left at the doorstop.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” said Ketki Gupta, who lived next door to Ms Dunn’s unit.

“It’s really scary to know that somebody … has done this.”

Just a one-minute walk from where her body was found, Ney alleged­ly stabbed 41-year-old Chines­e citizen Lin Bo in the upper back inside the Hotel CBD on King Street. Ms Bo left St Vincent’s Hospital about 7.30pm Wednesday, discharged in a “satisfactory condition”.

Homicide detectives are working to establish the exact nature of the relationship between Ney and Ms Dunn but on Tuesday Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said Ney had met her “for a business purpose”.

It has been widely reported that Ney organised to meet Ms Dunn through the site Locanto.

In 2016, Ms Dunn spoke out on Facebook against sexual violence, asking her friends to sign a ­petition.

“Sexual violence and harassment is never acceptable … It’s such an important issue that needs to be addressed sooner than later,” she wrote in the post.

Additional reporting: Toni Ambrogetti