Multiple investigations underway after B.C. woman’s suspicious death in Australia
Police in Australia are investigating the suspicious death of a woman who used to live in Surrey, B.C., after her body was found in her apartment on the outskirts of Sydney.
A separate investigation has also been launched to look into the way police handled an emergency call the night before from a woman saying she was being assaulted in the same building.
Thirty-four-year-old Tatania Dokhotaru had an Apprehended Violence Order against her estranged partner which is similar to a protection order here in Canada.
Despite the AVO, police say they found 28-year-old Danny Zayat and the couple’s four-year-old son in the apartment when they located Dokhotaru’s body.
Zayat was arrested and faces a total of 18 domestic violence charges in relation to previous complaints from Dokhotaru.
He is being held without bail.
Friends say Dokhotaru sent them numerous pictures and videos of alleged domestic violence injuries over the course of the relationship but she stayed with her estranged partner because they had a child together.
"Of course using children is going to be a way in which abusers can stay in a survivor's life. My heart goes out to that little boy and to the family,” said Karen Alcantara, a domestic violence counsellor with the Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre.
Dokhotaru moved to Sydney more than a decade ago and her parents still live in B.C.
"No parent should ever have to outlive their child. We cry out for justice and have faith the truth will prevail. Please pray for us,” Olga Dokhotaru said in a statement to 9 News Australia.
New South Wales Police say an emergency dispatcher took a call just before midnight on Friday, May 26 from a woman claiming she was being assaulted and that someone was trying to take money from her in her apartment.
It took officers three hours to respond, and when they did they could not locate the caller in the 297-unit building.
"She provided no name, and the address for that phone call was a large block of units here in Liverpool,” said NSWP Asst. Comm. Stuart Smith.
Police would find Dokhotaru’s body at 8:00 p.m. the next day after being called by a neighbour.
An independent critical incident investigation will look into whether the police response to the initial emergency call was appropriate.
In the meantime, no charges have been laid in connection to Dokhotaru’s death which is being investigated by the NSWP homicide unit.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.