Tuesday 2 August 2022 12:21 AM Saudi sisters: Crucifixes found in Alsehli siblings' Canterbury unit trends now
Two crucifixes were reportedly found in the southwest Sydney unit where two Saudi Arabian sisters were found decomposing in their bedrooms.
Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead inside their apartment in Canterbury on June 7, five years after they fled their homeland.
Police believe the women, who were found in separate beds and bedrooms, may have been dead for a month before officers discovered their decomposing bodies while conducting a welfare check.
There was no sign of forced entry, no clear signs of injury, and the cause of death remains undetermined although is being treated as suspicious.
One of the employees from their building management company told Daily Mail Australia there were two crucifixes found on the floors of one of the bedrooms.
It is unclear whether the crosses belonged to the women, indicating they had renounced Islam.
Pictured: Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24. She and her sister were found dead in Sydney's south-west. She filed an AVO against a 28-year-old man in 2018, which was later withdrawn
Pictured: Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23. Her body was found on June 7 in a Canterbury apartment
Investigators have remained tight-lipped about the latest development in the mysterious case.
'The deaths are still being investigated and police continue to appeal for information which will form part of our brief for the Coroner,' NSW Police said in a brief statement.
The worker said the women approached them with safety concerns earlier this year.
'They made a report that they saw a man 'acting weird' outside the building - standing between two cars and acting strange,' the employee said.
The worker said the women followed up the complaint and checked their security footage, but it was difficult to determine whether the man had malicious intentions.
'We checked the CCTV and saw there was a man there,' the employee said.
'But that spot is busy. There is a burger shop there and Uber Eats drivers coming and going all the time. He could have been anyone.
'We couldn't determine why he was there, but he didn't look like he was doing anything untoward, so there was no need to chase it up further.'
The worker said the women did not mention if they knew who the man was.
Late in 2021, the women also told building management they feared someone was tampering with their food deliveries.
However, surveillance cameras again found no evidence to back up their fears.
The building's surveillance was seized by police shortly after the women were discovered and has yet to be returned.
Detectives conducted two welfare checks after reports from the building management company. One was in March, after the women left food in the building's common areas.
Police discovered the sisters' bodies in June after they failed to pay rent for several weeks and the Sheriff turned up to serve the pair with an eviction notice.
The women, who lived on the corner flat above a burger shop, complained about a man 'acting weird' outside their building in the months before their deaths
The latest development in the mysterious case comes as police backflipped on initial claims the sisters' family had been cooperating with investigators.
For weeks, NSW Police assured media the sisters 'well-connected' family in the Saudi kingdom were 'cooperating' and 'helping' with the investigation.
But police sources on Sunday alleged that the family blocked detectives from releasing photographs of the women as part of a public appeal to shed light on the baffling case.
Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia their photos and identities were released in consultation with the coroner - not the sisters' family - almost two months after their bodies were found.
Other bizarre inconsistencies have also arisen during the investigation.
Police were unable to explain a delay on the release of toxicology reports which usually takes four to six weeks, despite previously insisting the findings were being 'fast-tracked'.
'That is a matter for the coroner,' police said in response to inquiries.
Forensic police scoured the unit (pictured) in the wake of the grisly discovery on June 7 - a month after the women died
Until now, investigators always insisted the family were cooperating with investigators and had 'no reason' to believe the Alsehli sisters fled their homeland.
Police would not release details about the women's visa status at press conference on July 27 but revealed officers were in touch with the family - who had instructed the consulate to act on their behalf.
Investigators believe the women died in May, around the time they stopped paying rent.
The coroner has not released the bodies of the sisters to their family, although it is understood they could be buried in Sydney.
Police are to yet rule out homicide or suicide as investigations continue.
It's also been revealed the sisters were both seeking protection from the Australian government as more details
