Man charged over Ioli’s death

Australian police have arrested a 34-year-old local man on murder charges in the death of Ioli Hadjilyra, whose body was found in a Brisbane park last week.

An official report on Tuesday said police apprehended the suspect after members of the public alerted authorities. 

"Police would like to thank the community for their ongoing support with this investigation," an official stattement said.

The suspect was identified a day earlier as Bradley Edwards, aged 34, shown in a video footage that was made public on Monday. The suspect was seen carrying what appeared to be a handbag belonging to Hadjilyra.

Early reports on Tuesday said a “person of interest” had been detained in the case, while an official report confirmed the murder charges and a court appearance set for Wednesday.

Cypriot-born Hadjilyra, a 26-year-old woman who had a Greek Cypriot mother and an Australian father, was found dead one week ago in Kalinga Park, north side of Brisbane. City employees who were conducting routine maintenance discovered her battered and partially naked body hidden in the bushes by the rail tracks near a train station overpass.

Police were initially treating Hadjilyra’s death as a possible homicide while investigators had not ruled out sexual assault and murder.

A second tweet by Queensland Police confirmed the arrest and murder charges.

Police have charged a man with murder following the death of 26-year-old Ioli Hadjilyra in Clayfield on September 4. https://t.co/0WBjVrstCe pic.twitter.com/TBiruhMCq1

— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) September 10, 2019