Australia has been left in shock after a young water polo coach was found dead following a suspected murder at an elite private school.
Lilie James, 21, was found dead inside the bathroom of St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney just before midnight on Wednesday. .
“From her injuries, it was apparent that she was a victim of homicide,” police superintendent Martin Fileman told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Her ex-boyfriend Paul Thijssen was reportedly captured on CCTV entering the bathroom after her.
His body was later discovered at the foot of cliffs near Diamond Bay Reserve on the eastern side of the city.
Before his body was found, police were quoted as saying they were “searching for a male staff member from the school who they believed could assist with inquiries”.
Australian media reported that the police were alerted to the murder by Thijssen himself, who made a chilling call alerting them to the location of the body.
“We don’t want to make any assumptions of the fact that that person may have taken his own life, but that’s just another line of inquiry we’re looking at at the moment,” Mr Fileman was quoted as saying.
Police said they found items “associated with the homicide” in a bin.
James’ father, identified as Jamie in local media, said the family was “devastated and heartbroken by the loss of our beautiful Lilie James”.
“She was vibrant, outgoing and very much loved by her friends and family,” he said in an interview with the local media.
“We are tremendously grateful for the support of the community at this difficult time.”
