Tasmania Police investigating after woman suspected murdered in home on Main Street, Ulverstone
Teresita Philp has lived in Main St since the 1980s and always felt safe. That all changed when a young woman in a house just two door up was killed by a “prowler”. LATEST FROM THE SCENE >>
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UPDATE, 8PM Wednesday, June 16:
A 35-year-old man has been charged with murder following the alleged stabbing attack on young mum Gabbie Marshall. He will face court on Thursday morning in Devonport.
UPDATE, 10AM Wednesday, June 16:
Teresita Philp has lived in Main St Ulverstone since the 1980s and had always felt safe and secure.
That confidence in her surroundings had been shaken up since Tuesday morning when she learned a young woman in a house just two door up had been killed by what police have described as a “prowler”.
The 23-year-old Queensland woman was found dead after the friend with whom she was staying called police at 3am to advise someone was in her house.
Police kept her on the line until they arrived and her friend was found with stab wounds.
“It’s very scary and I am glad I have visiting family around me right now,” Ms Philp said.
“Ulverstone has a reputation as a safe place to live. The fact that it seems to have been so random is very concerning and I think that is what is worrying everyone so much.
“I didn’t hear anything but woke to police floodlights and it had been busy since then. I am very glad to have company at the moment.
“I do feel a little uneasy being alone and there is much talk about what actually happened.”
Ms Philp has been interviewed by police as the investigation into the suspected murder continues.
A man who lives about 200m up the street has been taken into police custody in relation to the incident but no charges have been laid.
“Everyone is so friendly in this small town of 14,500,” Ms Philp’s daughter Megan said.
“Hopefully this terrible incident is a one-off. I grew up here and there was never any trouble. It is a small place, we know people but are not in people’s business.”
Police are this morning taping off and searching another house on Main St as the investigation into the murder continues.
Police have been looking in garden beds at the house and knocking on the door but no one is home.
Outside yellow markings outline a path between the murder scene in the direction of a house where a man was arrested on Tuesday morning — about eight hours after the woman’s body was found.
Tuesday, June 15, 2021:
A YOUNG woman visiting North West Tasmania from Queensland has been killed in what appears to be a random attack by a man who police say broke into a house in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Police were called to a house in Main St, Ulverstone by the resident about 3am.
The woman who rented the house told police on the line there was a prowler inside.
Police kept her on the line for more than 10 minutes as they rushed to the scene.
Her friend, a 23-year-old from Queensland who had been staying with her and her two young children for several weeks, was then found dead in a bedroom.
Detective Inspector Kim Steven said the dead woman had been stabbed and died from her injuries at the scene.
About 11am, a man who lives about 200m from the house where the body of the young woman was found, was taken into custody.
He has not yet been charged.
“At this early stage it does not appear the man arrested has any connection to the 23-year-old woman who had arrived ... to stay with her friend about three weeks ago,” he said.
Detective Inspector Kim Steven said:
“Any connection between the victim and the arrested man is currently a key area of focus for the investigation
“The triple-0 call was made by the woman who lives at the address.
“She originally called police in relation to a prowler at the house and radio operators remained on the phone with her until police arrived.”
Police are still searching for the weapon used in the attack and the house where the man was arrested has also become a crime scene.
Main St remains closed.
The woman’s next of kin have been notified of her death
Det. Insp. Steven said the resident of the house was distressed by the events and the loss of her friend.
A neighbour said she did not know the woman who lived at the house or her visiting friend.
“I was awake at 4am but did not hear anything but saw the floodlights when the police investigation began in the dark,” she said.
“It is a pretty quiet area normally. It was a bit surreal to ear about a murder this morning.”
Another neighbour said she recalled hearing a car driving very slowly down the street early on Tuesday morning.
Anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area around that time is asked to call Police on 131 444.
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