A man has been arrested over the death of Australian teacher Shanae Brooke Edwards, a month after her body was found in Georgia.
The 31-year-old Melbourne 'free spirit' was reportedly found with stab wounds near a narrow pedestrian trail in Mtatsminda Park in the eastern European country's capital of Tbilisi on July 31, a day after she went for a hike.
She was on the phone to a friend in the US and was heard shouting when she was allegedly attacked.
Until now, police in the former USSR state have shared little to no information to the public about how their investigation is progressing.
The breakthrough came after DNA gathered from the scene was allegedly used to 'unequivocally' link a man to Ms Edwards' death.
Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed on Wednesday a local man, 33, has been arrested for the 'premeditated murder' of Ms Edwards.
The accused man identified by the initials R.M. faces up to 15 years behind bars.
Tributes for the kind and adventurous Shanae Brooke Edwards have flooded social media since her alleged murder on July 30
A young Shanae Brooke Edwards (right) with her family
The ferris wheel attraction in Mtatsminda Park would have been in view of Shanae Brooke Edwards when she was allegedly murdered
'After inspecting the crime scene, the body was transferred to Levan Samkharauli National Forensics Bureau, where relevant body examination was conducted. Items and genetic traces extracted from the scene underwent a number of examination procedures, including biological, traceological, genetic and fingerprint examinations,' the statement read.
Police created a composite sketch of the offender after interviewing 200 people, including friends, co-workers, neighbours and fellow hikers who were at Mtatsminda Park the day she was allegedly murdered.
Police in Georgia have arrested a local man, 33, in relation to the alleged murder of the much loved Melbourne teacher
A GoFundMe page created to help the family of Ms Brooke Edwards return her body back to Australia had raised more than $20,000 and continues to accept donations.
It remains unclear if her body has been returned to Australia in the weeks since her alleged murder.
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