A body has been recovered from the ocean below cliffs in Sydney’s eastern suburbs as police searched for Paul Thijssen after the death of the school water polo coach Lilie James.
Police on Friday recovered the body from rough waters at Vaucluse. Thijssen worked at St Andrew’s Cathedral school with James and has been missing since she was killed on Wednesday night.
Her family issued a statement on Friday remembering the 21-year-old university student as a “vibrant, outgoing and very much loved” young woman.
“We are devastated and heartbroken by the loss of our beautiful Lilie James,” they said. “We are tremendously grateful for the support of our community at this difficult time. As a police investigation is under way, we will not be providing further comments.”
New South Wales police were at Diamond Bay on Friday searching for Thijssen.
In rough weather conditions, police confirmed about 9am they were working “to retrieve a body” that was yet to be identified. It was brought up on to the clifftop after midday.
Police found James’s body in the gym bathroom at the school on Bathurst and Kent streets just before midnight on Wednesday. They said it was a “confronting scene”.
Officers said they had found James dead with serious head injuries and were treating her death as suspicious.
A second crime scene was established in Vaucluse at The Gap, where police found “property associated with the homicide” about the same time they found James’s body.
Diamond Bay Reserve and the surrounding cliffs were cordoned off with police tape on Friday. Rescue police in white overalls were stationed further down the cliff face.
Strong winds made the operation challenging. The ocean was rough, with large swells at the base of the cliffs where police were trying to retrieve the body.
Thijssen was wanted for questioning in relation to the matter. He graduated from St Andrew’s in 2017 and has since worked there as a sports coach as well as an after-hours coordinator. He is well known within the school community.
A NSW police superintendent, Martin Fileman, said on Thursday that James’s body had been found after officers received a call from someone who was concerned about her.
They were not looking for anyone else and did not believe there was a risk to the community. Thijssen was not known to police.
On Thursday Daniel Makovec, a friend of the James family, said: “Please respect the family’s privacy during this unimaginable period. The family has nothing more to say at this time.”
The school was closed for two days for all students, other than those sitting year 12 exams, after the “onsite death overnight”.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14 and the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org
