21-year-old found dead in apartment was ‘captured’ before death, says aunt

This story contains the name and images of an Indigenous person who has died.

A 21-year-old woman who was found dead at a Carlton apartment had pleaded for help from authorities weeks before her death, her family say.

Kellie Carter-Bell said her niece Jayda Lou-Eve Allen Bonner filed a police report against an unnamed man six weeks ago.

Allen Bonner’s body was found by police in an apartment complex on Cardigan Street about 1.45am on Saturday after emergency services were called to the building.

Speaking to reporters, Carter-Bell said her niece was a “shell of herself” in the weeks before her death.

“Jayda was like a ghost, almost. She had lost so much weight,” Carter-Bell told Nine News.

A 60-year-old man was arrested nearby. He was interviewed by police on Saturday and was released pending further inquiries.

The investigation is ongoing, a police spokesperson said.

More to come.

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