Father-of-two charged with the horrific murder of Nicole Cartwright 'kept her dead body for TWO DAYS before dumping it like garbage after the pair met on a dating app'
- A man has been charged over the death of Nicole Cartwright in Sydney in 2018
- Dennis Pietrobon, 51, was charged with Ms Cartwright's murder on Wednesday
- Ms Cartwright's brutalised body was found lying at a playground in Hunters Hill
- Police will allege Pietrobon kept her body in his Haberfield home for two days
- He is then accused of driving to a park and dumping her body wrapped in a sheet
The man charged with murdering Nicole Cartwright allegedly kept her dead body for two days before dumping it in a children's playground.
Dennis Pietrobon, a divorced father-of-two, is accused of brutalising and killing Ms Cartwright on her birthday in 2018 after meeting her online.
Her decomposing body was found by a council worker in a park in Hunters Hill, Sydney, where she was wrapped in a sheet and 'dumped like some piece of unwanted refuge', police said.
Police will allege that Pietrobon, 51, killed Ms Cartwright on October 1, her 32nd birthday, at his Haberfield home - where he then hid her body for two days.
He is then accused of driving to Buffalo Creek Reserve in Hunters Hill and discarding her body in a 'callous and heinous act'.
It was found wrapped in a bed sheet on Sydney's lower north shore in the early hours of October 3 2018.
A man has been arrested over the death of Nicole Cartwright (pictured) whose body was found near a Sydney playground in October 2018
Ms Cartwright, 32, was found dumped in a park at Hunters Hill (pictured), on Sydney's lower north shore, in the early hours of October 3, 2018
NSW Police launched Strike Force Winkurra to investigate the young woman’s death and in particular her interactions with men through dating apps and fetish websites.
Ending a two-year manhunt by homicide detectives, Pietrobon was arrested at Parramatta Police Station on Wednesday.
NSW Police homicide squad commander Danny Doherty said Pietrobon had been at the police station in relation to a separate matter when he was arrested at 12.45pm.
Speaking after the arrest, Mr Doherty said the 'very sad and tragic' death came after the pair met on a dating or similar social media app.
'Police will allege that Nicole and this 51-year-old man had met through dating sites that Nicole was known to be using,' Det Supt Doherty said.
'There's (allegedly) links between this man and Nicole, and to the crime scene.
'Police will allege that she was murdered somewhere else (other than the park).
'The state of Nicole's body was such that there was some decomposition. She was found on October 3, police will allege that she was murdered on October 1.'
Ms Cartwright's decomposing body caused 'difficulties' in the post-mortem, he explained, because of the terrible state it was in.
'It will be alleged that this man took her from an address to the reserve and unfortunately dumped her body like some piece of unwanted refuge,' he continued.
'It's a callous and heinous act.'
Police explained a critical breakthrough came following new forensic evidence allegedly linking Pietrobon to Ms Cartwright's body, as well as information from the public.
'Not only forensic evidence to link him to Nicole but also to the crime scene,' he said.
Nicole Cartwright (pictured) died after allegedly meeting 51-year-old Pietrobon online and going to his home
Detectives arrested a 51-year-old man (pictured) over Ms Cartwright's death at Parramatta Police Station at about 12.45pm on Wednesday
Det Supt Doherty also urged people not to 'judge' the 'personal choices' of using such dating sites.
'While some people may judge these acts as salacious let’s not forget there was a young woman who was [allegedly] brutalised and murdered and then dumped in a park in a callous act,' he said.
'It has been a long journey, a relentless and tenacious effort by the detectives involved.'
Pietrobon was refused bail to appear in Parramatta Local Court on Thursday.
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed homicide detectives had narrowed their hunt to a group of men who were all sexually involved with Ms Cartwright in the days prior to her death.
The gruesome discovery was made by a council worker at Buffalo Creek Reserve on Sydney's lower north shore about 7.30am on October 3, 2018
Detectives were understood to have identified a prime suspect after obtaining DNA evidence linking the man to moving her bruised and battered body.
A friend of Ms Cartwright said her social media posts became 'increasingly dark' in the lead-up to her death.
She was last seen on CCTV at Museum train station in the Sydney CBD at 9.14pm on September 30.
Between September 27 and September 30 she travelled across the city, visiting Bondi Junction in the east and St Marys in the west.
Her body was discovered about 7.30am by a council worker who had arrived to open the park gates.
A community vigil was held for Ms Cartwright at Buffalo Creek Reserve in the days after she was killed (pictured)
Ms Cartwright was suffering severe head injuries and had her hands tied when she was found.
Drag marks almost 30m in length were also located through the nearby park.
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Cartwright's brother Ben said it was difficult for him and his parents to comprehend the fact that she would never be coming home.
'It’s hard to express in words what our family has been through since Nicole’s death,' Ben said.
'Nicole was very much loved as a sister and daughter; a cherished member of our family.
Ms Cartwright (pictured) was found wrapped in a sheet in a Sydney park, allegedly two days after she was killed
'We grieve daily for Nicole and the life she never got to live, and we are still struggling to comprehend that she will never be coming home.
'On behalf of our family, we want to thank the community for sharing our appeals for information, and also thank those who provided information to the police.
'Thank you also to the NSW Police Force detectives, who have supported our family during this time and worked tirelessly to help bring justice for Nicole.'
Ms Cartwright's parents Terry and Brenda only reported her missing after seeing news reports on the day her body was found.
Just 24 hours later they were told the devastating news.
There was an outpouring of emotion in the aftermath of Ms Cartwright's death, with several community vigils held at the park where she died.
The man (pictured) has since been charged with murder and was refused bail to appear in court on Thursday
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