Face of Nation : Caitlin O’Brien had just won the fight of her life after successfully undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumour.
But the 31-year-old Melbourne nurse cheated death only to be killed less than five weeks later.
According to police, Ms O’Brien was found dead inside her Kooyong Road apartment at Gardenvale in the city’s southeast at about 7.30pm yesterday when police conducting a welfare check broke down her door.
Her boyfriend Shea Sturt, 32, was arrested a short time later and charged with her murder.
He fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court this morning less than 24 hours after the gruesome discovery.
The exact circumstances leading up to her death are unclear and the cause of death is yet to be established. Police are investigating an alleged history of domestic violence between the couple.
In a tragic twist it has been revealed Ms O’Brien had been recovering from an operation to remove a brain tumour when she was killed.
She posted a photograph of her shaved head and scar less than five weeks ago, jokingly likening herself to a “tennis ball”.
“Tennis Ball Head haha. I’m ok with this… You gotta laugh hey,” she wrote on May 22 in what appears to have been her last public Facebook post.
The picture was met with an outpouring of love and support, with Ms O’Brien brushing off concerns for her welfare with stoicism and good humour.
In one reply, she mentions how Mr Sturt had been caring for her as she recovered.
“Am home now and just requiring panadol with the occasional Endone,” she wrote. “Showering and dressing myself etc. Shea (sic) taking care of all the chores and cooking. Get my staples out tomorrow :)”
Mr Sturt was active on his Facebook page as recently as yesterday after posting a string of bizarre existential messages.
“Stop trying to get better. Learn the difference between wisdom and understanding,” one said.
Another said: “Eternal life is fun but it’s known. Don’t you want a surprise?”
Another featured a clip from stand-up comedian Owen Benjamin titled: “How to be married and not be murdered.”
Neighbours in the ordinarily quiet complex said the pair were often seen together.
One neighbour told the Herald Sun the victim was living in the second storey apartment for about two years.
Another told Nine Ms O’Brien had not been seen for “at least four or five weeks”.
Photographs from the scene show forensic officers working behind police tape.
One photograph shows the door of the apartment cracked in several places where police forced their way in.
Mr Sturt was remanded in custody and due to face court again in October
