Days after a Japanese exchange student was found dead on the grounds of an empty Vancouver heritage mansion, a memorial that includes flowers, burning candles, hand-written notes and a purple stuffed monkey is growing.

On Friday, police confirmed 30-year-old Natsumi Kogawa was found dead on the property, which has sat vacant and behind construction fencing for several years after being sold to a developer.

“Natsumi, I’m so sorry. You will be missed and not forgotten. Vancouver loves you,” reads one note.

“You are incredibly loved,” reads another.

People dropping off flowers say they feel a connection to the murdered English language student.

“I’m also in the same situation, I’m studying here on a working holiday,” said Misaki Aiba.

Those that knew Kogawa are struggling to understand why she was killed.

Tamami Doi had been friends with Kogawa since they attended high school together in Japan. She also came to Vancouver to study, and was devastated to hear of her friend’s fate.

“We were looking for her for about three weeks, and finally we found her but she is already gone,” Doi told CTV News. “It’s so sad.”

A grim discovery

Kogawa was discovered Wednesday evening at historic Gabriola House on Davie Street, but the Vancouver Police Department remained tight-lipped for more than a day afterward as officers scoured the surrounding area.

The ESL student was reported missing on Sept. 12, four days after she was last seen by her roommates at their Burnaby home.

Earlier this week, the RCMP released surveillance footage showing Kogawa walking with a man near Seymour and Hastings streets in downtown Vancouver on Sept. 8.

The man seen in that footage, William Schneider, was arrested by North Okanagan RCMP in Vernon hours after Kogawa's body was found, and remains in police custody.

One count of indignity to a body was approved against Schneider on Thursday, and police said the 48-year-old is the sole suspect in Kogawa's death.

According to court documents obtained by CTV News, the crime of indignity is believed to have taken place on or around the day he was filmed with the victim.

Records reveal the suspect has faced a litany of other charges since 1998 as well, including break-and-enter, assault with a weapon, and theft. He was also convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to four years in prison.

“She just met the wrong person in the wrong time”

Kogawa’s mother says she's devastated, telling local media her daughter was a sweet girl who cared about her family.

The case is also making diplomatic waves: Japan’s consul general told CTV News she hopes to see swift justice.

“Sad, sad… we had hoped all along collaborating with the police and thought she would come out safely,” said Asako Okai.

Scheneider will appear in court on Monday. In the meantime, Doi wants people to know that Kogawa didn’t deserve her tragic fate.

“Some people judge and say it's her mistake. That's disgusting. It's not her fault,” said Doi. “She just met the wrong person in the wrong time. She was just unlucky.”

With files from CTV Vancouver’s Jon Woodward