After an afternoon shopping in the city, her arm laden with bags, Mengmei Leng hopped off the train and began her walk home.
That was the last time she was seen alive.
This morning, as the 25-year-old’s family and friends prepared to begin another torturous day of not knowing, police confirmed the worst.
The UTS economics student has been formally identified as the mystery woman who was found stabbed, stripped and dumped in the Snapper Point blowhole on the New South Wales Central Coast over the long weekend.
Since news broke this morning, the student’s social media accounts have been flooded with messages of grief.
“May angels accompany you,” wrote one follower.
“Wish that in heaven there is no pain,” wrote another.
via Facebook
The woman's body was found floating face down in the Snapper Point blowhole on Sunday morning, with multiple stab wounds to her neck. It's not yet known how long she had been in the water.
With Mengmei's killer still on the loose, police are desperately trying to piece together exactly what happened to her.
CCTV footage from the hours before her disappearance on 21 April show Mengmei shopping at Pitt St Mall in Sydney's CBD before boarding a train at St James station and arriving at Campsie Station around 4:30pm.
Media reports have suggested Mengmei had planned to meet up with a person she'd met on social media that evening, but that has yet to be confirmed by police.
There's a possibility the meeting may have been a date.
via NSW Police
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, social media users reportedly played an integral part in helping police identify Mengmei, after several people noticed the similarities between the missing woman and a computer generated image of the Snapper Point Jane Doe.
Her family reportedly told an Australian-based Chinese news site that, by Thursday afternoon, police had all but confirmed the link.
"Yesterday, New South Wales Police took away her toothbrush, collected hair and other personal items to do DNA comparison, today the police took away Michelle's computer to find more effective clues," they said (the quote was translated by The Sydney Morning Herald).
via Facebook and NSW Police
How Mengmei's body then ended up 100km from Sydney in the Munmorah State Conservation Area remains unclear. But police said it is possible that her body was driven to the site, according to news.com.au.
A special strike force has been established to investigate the murder, and police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. They are particularly interested to speak with anyone who saw or spoke to Mengmei in the days before her disappearance.
Anyone with information relating to this case is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au/