A 45-year-old man has been charged with murder following the discovery of a woman’s body at a Melbourne waste management facility.
English teacher Annette Brennan, 67, was found dead at a tip in Epping in Melbourne’s north, about 8km from her home in Coolaroo, on July 3.
The 45-year-old, who police say was known to Ms Brennan, was arrested and questioned by detectives before he was charged on Tuesday night.
Staff at the Cooper Street rubbish tip located the teacher’s body while moving green waste last Wednesday and contacted police.
Investigators believe Ms Brennan was originally inside a domestic bin that was picked up from her Hilgay Street home on July 2.
The accused Coolaroo man has been remanded in custody to appear in Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
One of Ms Brennan’s former students, Simona Croce, told 9News that the teacher was a ‘beautiful, loving and a kind woman’.
‘She was amazing, I’m really shocked,’ she added, calling her a ‘second mum’.
‘No one deserves to be treated this way, no one,’ she said.
One neighbour told Daily Mail that his neighbourhood remained in shock following the suspected murder.
‘We’ve never seen anything like this out here. It’s just awful,’ the man said.
Forensic and uniformed offers were seen at the home surrounded by police tape on Saturday, when the discovery was made public.
Detectives are keen to speak to anyone who noticed any suspicious behaviour in Coolaroo from June 23 to July 2.
The discovery of the body is the third time a woman’s remains have been found in a bin or tip in Victoria in recent years.
In March, the remains of 35-year-old Point Cook resident Chaithanya ‘Swetha’ Madhagani were discovered in a wheelie bin at Buckley, southwest of Geelong.
Three years ago, the remains of mother Ju ‘Kelly’ Zhang were found at a landfill in Wollert.
Ms Brennan is alleged to be the 48th woman murdered in this year.
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