Maribyrnong murder charge laid after woman’s body found in Melbourne river

Lucy Mae Beers
7NEWS
A murder charge has been laid days after the body of a woman was found in a Melbourne river by a passerby.
A murder charge has been laid days after the body of a woman was found in a Melbourne river by a passerby. Credit: 7NEWS

A murder charge has been laid days after the body of a woman was found in a Melbourne river by a passerby.

The woman’s body was spotted at 10.30am on Sunday in an area of the Maribyrnong River near Smithfield Rd in Flemington and she is yet to be formally identified.

On Monday police confirmed they were treating the death of the woman as suspicious, and that homicide squad detectives were investigating.

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About 90 minutes before the woman was found, the body of a man was spotted by a passerby in the same river in Footscray, but police have said the deaths are not linked.

The man’s death is not believed to be suspicious and he is yet to be formally identified.

The bodies of a man and woman were found in the Maribyrnong River.
The bodies of a man and woman were found in the Maribyrnong River. Credit: 7NEWS

On Tuesday afternoon, police arrested a 49-year-old woman and 15-year-old boy, both from West Footscray, as part of their investigation into the deceased woman.

After being interviewed, the woman was charged with murder and the boy was released without charge.

The woman was remanded to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

Both the woman and the boy are believed to be known to the deceased person.

Police are still keen to speak to anyone who has CCTV or dashcam footage, particularly from the areas around Glamis Rd in West Footscray or Smithfield Rd in Flemington near Lynch’s Bridge.

The hours they are interested in are between 12pm on Friday and 10.30am on Sunday.

Police are keen to speak to anyone who noticed suspicious activity.

Originally published on 7NEWS

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