A young homeless woman whose body was found in a Melbourne park after being viciously bashed had tried to phone her ex-boyfriend in the hours before she died.
Courtney Herron, 25, tried to phone her ex-boyfriend Terrick Edwards on Friday but he missed the call and is now distraught he missed an opportunity to help the young woman, his sister Nindara Edwards Norris told The Age.
Ms Norris said her brother was upset 'for not being able to offer her a safe place for the night.'
'Our families are all still in shock and my brother is struggling to process this as he missed her call Friday and now feels so terrible,' she said.
Ms Herron's body was found by dogwalkers at Royal Park in Parkville about 9.30 on Saturday morning.
The woman found dead in a Melbourne park has been identified as Courtney Herron
Ms Norris said her brother would want Ms Herron to be remembered as a lovely person and not just another homeless person who died on the streets.
She said Ms Herron came from a close Greek-Australian family and had a brother and sister and she used to work for a government department.
Her brother and Ms Herron had lived together before they split four years ago, she said.
A friend of Ms Herron from high school, Matt Walsh, told The Age she was one of the most kind-hearted people he knew.
'[She was] always smiling and joking, trying to make herself and others happy. That's how I'll remember her. She should be remembered by her smile because you would see it every day without fail,' he said.
Courtney Herron, 25, (pictured) has been remembered as the hunt for her killer continues
'Breaks my heart that we live in such a f***ed up world, nobody deserves this. It was a pleasure knowing you; even not seeing you in years,' another friend Jadee Craggles posted on Facebook.
Dog walkers made the horrendous discovery at Melbourne's Royal Park on Saturday morning, but the cause of death remains a mystery.
Homicide squad Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said extreme violence was inflicted on Ms Herron and it's not known if there was one or more attackers.
'The level of violence involved here was extreme in my view,' he told reporters on Sunday.
'This was a particularly, particularly horrendous attack.'
Investigators believe Ms Herron was bashed just hours before her body was found about 9.25am on Saturday.
Mourners left handwritten notes at the scene where Courtney Herron's body was found
Inspector Stamper said the attacker did try and conceal the body and there was no evidence as yet that it was a sexually motivated crime or if a weapon was used.
Ms Herron had been couch surfing and sleeping rough for some time while struggling with drug and mental health issues, Inspector Stamper said.
The last confirmed sighting of her was on May 14 at St Albans when she came into contact with the police.
Her family have been told of her death.
Investigators are still working to piece together Ms Herron's movements and lead them to her killer, who remains on the run.
Inspector Stamper said detectives and forensic scientists worked through the night and are appealing for public assistance.
'We've spoken to a number of rough sleepers who were in that area at the time,' Inspector Stamper said.
'They have been helpful with us in building that picture. There's still a lot of gaps in terms of what actually happened in the park.'
A man was seen visiting the spot where her body was found and leaving a bouquet of flowers along with the touching note
Mourners lay flowers at the tragic scene where Courtney Herron's life was cut short
Police believe Ms Herron was assaulted between Friday and 9.25am Saturday morning
'So we need information from the public in terms of times, if they have seen something, that will enable us to sort of narrow down a lot of our inquiries and focus on, you know, whether it be CCTV, public transport, as I say, these are all issues in play at the moment.'
Ms Herron's body was discovered near a group of logs under a tree in the 180 hectare park, where a heartbreaking letter was left on Sunday morning.
A man was seen visiting the spot where her body was found and leaving a bouquet of flowers along with the touching note.
'You deserve so much better,' the note read.
'May you rest in everlasting peace.'
According to the Herald Sun, the man, who preferred not to be identified, said he
