Lolene Whitehand, 85, identified as woman whose body was found in Maribyrnong River in Melbourne
A body found in the Maribyrnong River on Sunday has been identified as an elderly woman from Melbourne’s west.
A fisherman found Lolene Whitehand’s body in the river near Smithfield Rd, Flemington about 10.30am.
Whitehand, 85, had been reported missing by her family.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.She was last seen at her West Footscray home on Friday afternoon.
Floral tributes have started to appear outside her home, with neighbours describing Whitehand as a sweet and caring woman.
“She’s just a lovely old lady, talked about her bushes a few times and talked about her gardening,” one man told 7NEWS.
“(She was) always up for a chat.”
The fisherman who found the body claimed Whitehand’s legs and head were bound in blue plastic, and she had bruising on her arms.
Another neighbour said what apparently happened to Whitehand was “disgusting”.
“It’s a safe community, it shouldn’t have happened here,” they told 7NEWS.
On Tuesday afternoon, police arrested a 49-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy, believed to be her son.
Both were from West Footscray, where the woman was believed to be a neighbour of Whitehand.
The boy was later released while the woman was charged with murder and appeared briefly in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
She is due back in court next Tuesday.
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.
Whitehand’s body was discovered about 90 minutes after a man’s body was also found in the river on Sunday.
Police said the two deaths were not linked.
The man’s death is not being treated as suspicious.
