Police in Australia say a kangaroo crash never happened, but a homicide did. Northern Territory authorities have charged a 33-year-old man with murdering his 27-year-old partner after he allegedly told emergency services their Jeep hit a kangaroo on a remote Outback highway early Sunday and his partner had "stopped breathing," the Guardian reports The woman was found dead in the vehicle with "visible facial injuries," while the man also had "some injuries," police said. NT Police Acting Commander Mark Grieve said officers at the scene quickly formed the view the woman had been assaulted, and her death was treated as suspicious.
Grieve said "further information obtained" led police "to believe the deceased was a victim of assault perpetrated by the male earlier that morning." He said there was damage to the front of the vehicle, and investigators are trying to determine whether it was "pre-existing or whether it was fresh." He said police haven't been able to find any evidence of a kangaroo strike. The couple, who had been on a road trip from Queensland's Sunshine Coast region to the Northern Territory since April 1, were believed to have been parked on the side of the Barkly Highway for several hours before the 5:50am emergency call. Grieve said police believe the assault happened around 1:30am, the NT Independent reports.
An autopsy is underway to confirm the cause of death. Blayze James Noble, who has been in custody since Sunday, was charged with murder Thursday night, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reports. Relatives of the victim, Christine Marshall Hunter, say they are "trying to process the shock and grief of losing her so suddenly." Her younger sister, Jazmyne Lecerf, tells the ABC that she was "loving," "protective," and "had a presence that could light up a room.
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