The sister of former Beauty and the Geek star Tamika Chesser has shared details of the final phone call they shared before the 34-year-old was charged with murder.
Chesser was arrested on June 19 after police responded to reports of a small fire at the Port Lincoln home she shared with 39-year-old Julian Daniel Story.
But when emergency services arrived, they found Mr Story dismembered and missing his head on the bathroom floor of the apartment.
Chesser was arrested at the scene and charged with murder. She is currently being held in James Nash House, a mental health facility.
The reality star’s sister, Kiya-May Chesser, told Daily Mail on Saturday her family were reeling from reports their loved one had been charged.
‘Please report how my sister is in a mental psychosis,’ Kiya-May said.
‘This is not her… She would never do these things.’
Kiya-May added that Chesser had experienced a ‘life of trauma and abuse, and now this – it has fried her brain’.
‘She called me on the 10th of this month to save her animals because one pooed on the floor… he’s a drug cook and not in a good mind space himself.
‘In their short time together we would be on the phone to her while he was going off in the background. There is more to this story.’
Kiya-May said ‘a lot has happened’ in Chesser’s life since she appeared on Beauty and the Greek and ‘in the past five years she’s become very mentally ill’.
‘This is a loss not only for Julian’s family but ours too,’ she said.
In addition to the murder charge, Chesser was also charged with assaulting police and with knowingly performing an act or omission intending to result in human remains being less likely to be found for the purposes of concealing the commission of an offence relating to the human remains, court documents state.
Detective Darren Fielke told a press conference it was ‘crucial’ Mr Story’s head was returned to his family so they could hold a funeral.
‘We have not recovered the head of Julian Story,’ he told reporters.
Police released CCTV images and video which showed Chesser walking three dogs and carrying a bag while apparently wearing a Hijab-style head covering.
In an effort to find Mr Story’s head, officers are appealing to the public for help in tracking Chesser’s movements in the week of the alleged murder, particularly between midnight on Tuesday night (June 17) and the report of the fire at 3.30 pm on Thursday afternoon (June 19).
‘We know that Tamika did not drive a vehicle and regularly walked around the township of Port Lincoln,’ Det Fielke said.
A spokesperson for Mr Story’s family thanked police and first responders for their ‘compassion and professionalism during this devastating time’.
‘We are navigating an unimaginable loss, and your care has brought comfort amid the chaos,’ the spokesperson said.
‘We are also deeply grateful to our family and friends and this extraordinary community whose kindness and support have helped carry us through. Your prayers, presence, and quiet strength mean more than words can say.’
A neighbour noticed black smoke coming from the property about 1.30pm on June 19 and asked Chesser, who appeared outside, what she was doing.
‘Nothing,’ she allegedly replied, before taking her dogs for a walk.
The neighbour grew concerned about the fire and took a bucket of water over to the home, entering through the back door, the documents state.
Police will allege Chesser murdered Mr Story around midnight on June 17.
Chesser sported a shaved head as she appeared in court via a video link from James Nash House, a mental health facility, at a suppression order hearing on Friday.
She first appeared in court last week, where she was refused bail. A committal hearing has been scheduled for December.
Chesser was the runner-up on the 2010 season of Beauty and the Geek and later modelled for men’s magazines including Playboy, Ralph and FHM.