Australia Australia - Amesha Rajapakse, 31, Westmead, NSW, 26 Aug 2014

[MsAnais]

Welcome Keshi!!!

:welcome:

Thank you so much for joining us!! Your insight is truly invaluable.

And thanks in particular for explaining the father's statement about wanting to see her face - that was a bit confusing for Australians to understand.

It's interesting reading also about the reasons why the family wouldn't contact the police immediately due to cultural reasons. Those issues of pride, shame and keeping things in the family are very similar to the values of the Sicilian culture (of which I am descended). It's helpful to understand.

Yay to you for sharing your fabulous knowledge with us!!

:seeya:

 

[Keshi]

Thank you Oddsocks!

 

[Keshi]

Thanks for the warm welcome Isisrising, and also for that insight into Sicilian culture. Truly interesting to see that many cultures have common traditions/family values even though we live here in Aus now.

 

[Keshi]

Agree Spooks @ A lot of things that strike as strange to us might have been totally normal and routine to others.

The reason why I thought she may have been under 'house arrest' is because allegedly her brother had called her a couple of times that night. Why was he so concerned about her that night? Was he checking up on her whereabouts?

I also agree that the limited number of access cards may have led to her not having one for herself. However, a person who was going out at night would require the access card more than the person who was staying indoors, if there was one at home.

 

[Xantara]

One thing I don't believe I have previously posted, is my recollection of something that was said in some news report on this case. I don't recall which one. However, it was stated that the father and brother were being taken to Parramatta Police Station to be interviewed 'for vital clues' or something to that effect. The 'vital clues' reference stood out for me. There is an inference that they might have some kind of inside knowledge that might be of value to this case...
Of course, asking both of them to the police station is a routine course of action too. But usually it's not referred to as being for the purpose of 'vital clues'; perhaps just assistance with inquiries or something more general. What do others think?

 

[Keshi]

Yes. @ 'vital clues' reference

While it is standard practice to question immediate family and even treat them as suspects, I also feel in this case the detectives were well informed. A lack of a single photo of Amesha almost a week after her death suggests to me, the Police has sufficient information to go with, without having to release any more details or photos of Amesha. This means, they don't seem to require eye-witness accounts. And that means, they already have 'vital clues'.

 

[spooks]

Anyone with a secret life/routine/affair will have a standard set of excuses. Some people often say they are "working late tonight" to go off in pursuit of whatever. "I'm going to pop in to the store" could have been her routine excuses to step out of the building in the middle of the night to regularly without raising too many eyebrows. If you do it so often people won't give second thoughts about her stepping out during a late evening.

 

[Xantara]

Yes. @ 'vital clues' reference

While it is standard practice to question immediate family and even treat them as suspects, I also feel in this case the detectives were well informed. A lack of a single photo of Amesha almost a week after her death suggests to me, the Police has sufficient information to go with, without having to release any more details or photos of Amesha. This means, they don't seem to require eye-witness accounts. And that means, they already have 'vital clues'.

And one further point on that issue: msm reported that prior to taking the father and brother to the police station for inquiries (re 'vital clues'), they i.e. the police, asked the brother to empty his pockets. Is that standard practice? Why single out the brother? Did they ask the father to empty out his pockets too? If so, why would msm only report that in relation to the brother?

 

[SouthAussie]

Thanks for the warm welcome SouthAussie

I watched and listened to that clip a couple of times. What the father was saying in Sinhalese:

"Mata balanna oney moona" - "I want to see the face"

Then immediately turning towards the officer, he also goes to say:

"Poddak" - "a little"

It's a Sinhalese figure of speech. To say "I want to see the face a little" is an affectionate statement, mostly conveyed at partings/goodbyes. It's similar to saying 'Let me look at you one last time". At funerals in Sri Lanka, people focus a lot on the face - they even touch, kiss, pat the face of the dead person. And when it's finally the time to close the coffin, it becomes an emotionally intense moment, because that would be the last time seeing a loved-one's 'face'.

IMO he wanted to see the daughter's face, wanted to read her last expressions. It's a deep emotional need he was trying to meet.

Thank you Keshi, for your translation and explanation. :seeya:

Now I understand why the father was so anxious to see Amesha's face.

 

[Amee]

"in the hope of providing vital clues"

I read that as the family just helping them with any information they have as the Strike Force were trying to work out Amesha's last movements. The autopsy was being done on Thursday so maybe more info will come out when the results are in. MOO

Strike Force Mandaring, which is trying to piece *together her last movements.

Ms Rajapakse’s family members were interviewed at Parramatta police station in the hope of *providing vital clues.

They were too upset to comment as they left the station.

The complex has put on extra security patrols with the hundreds of residents, especially women, in fear after the grisly discovery

Anyone with information is urged to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...akse-in-westmead/story-fni0cx12-1227039468200

Wouldnt the unit have been part of a crime scene? So maybe that was part of the reason the family went to the police station for the interview :dunno:

 

[Amee]

“She had only a few friends because her whole life, her whole world is very small, like our family and our closest relatives,” Mr Rajapakse said.

Strike Force Mandaring is attempting to establish the circumstances surrounding the death.

Police are still awaiting the results of a post-mortem which will help to determine the direction of the investigation.

Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/20...ous-death-of-sydney-woman#5JZkeg0gcfBOllEc.99

 

[Keshi]

Yes. You're absolutely right. Good thinking there Xantara. Well, allegedly one occupant of the apartment block had said that the brother was a 'complete mess'. Perhaps the police acted upon that statement in the spur of the moment? @ Checking his pockets.

To check if he was carrying a weapon, or any item belonging to Amesha?

I believe that would be standard practice as an immediate response/reaction on the scene by the police, because it is also the brother who had found the body. That was a crucial time for police to pick up any evidence at all, regardless of who may be really responsible for her death if it was a murder.

 

[FigTree]

Thankyou Keshi for your posts - very grateful for the perspective

Just a few thoughts..
If Amesha left to go to the shops with the gift card and something happened to her before she reached the shop:
Q: Where is the gift card?
Did Police find that on her?
Were Police looking for the card in the area she was found?
It may also have been a good reason her brother mentioned the card - if it is missing, someone may have found it.

If Amesha was returning from the shop -
Q: Did she spend the value of the card, or was there still some credit on it and she had it with her?
Again I would question, where is the card? and...
Where are the groceries she bought?

Maybe the gift card, amount, type of card is a vital clue as to where Amesha used it, and her last known movements, or, possibly where it is now.
Gift cards can be used without ID - but they register at least the store they were used at.

Just to add, when I lived in a unit with a swipe entry key - if someone was home I never took it with me. I'd just buzz, and the person at home would beam me up. Saved losing cards and knowing who had them

I hope there is some news on the autopsy soon.

 

[Keshi]

Thankyou Keshi for your posts - very grateful for the perspective

Just a few thoughts..
If Amesha left to go to the shops with the gift card and something happened to her before she reached the shop:
Q: Where is the gift card?
Did Police find that on her?
Were Police looking for the card in the area she was found?
It may also have been a good reason her brother mentioned the card - if it is missing, someone may have found it.

If Amesha was returning from the shop -
Q: Did she spend the value of the card, or was there still some credit on it and she had it with her?
Again I would question, where is the card? and...
Where are the groceries she bought?

Maybe the gift card, amount, type of card is a vital clue as to where Amesha used it, and her last known movements, or, possibly where it is now.
Gift cards can be used without ID - but they register at least the store they were used at.

Just to add, when I lived in a unit with a swipe entry key - if someone was home I never took it with me. I'd just buzz, and the person at home would beam me up. Saved losing cards and knowing who had them

I hope there is some news on the autopsy soon.

Good point there @ swipe entry key usage

About the gift cards, it is unclear if she took any with her or the brother was just mentioning/inquiring the father if she took them with her that night. Yes it would be interesting to see if she ever actually made it to the store, and if she used any gift card at all. And CCTV footage from the store might help to further confirm that.

Even if she didn't go to the store or use a gift card, there has to be some other clue/footage of her whereabouts after she left the apartment block. I'm sure it must have already been traced by the police.

<modsnip>

 

[marlywings]

Hi to all our new members in Amesha's thread and welcome to Websleuths (WS)

In case you've not had a chance to read them I'm adding in the following link which contains info about our rules...


Rules Etiquette & Information

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...iquette-amp-Information&p=8364858#post8364858

 

[they'll get you]

The only time I've ever had a gift card was a Christmas bonus from my employer.

Does anyone ever buy a gift card to substitute cash or credit card?
Anyone else shop like this?
Cash is easy but it can be spent anywhere, the gift card ensures the money is spent at a certain supermarket only, any ideas why?

 

[Xantara]

The only time I've ever had a gift card was a Christmas bonus from my employer.

Does anyone ever buy a gift card to substitute cash or credit card?
Anyone else shop like this?
Cash is easy but it can be spent anywhere, the gift card ensures the money is spent at a certain supermarket only, any ideas why?

I'm not that surprised that they had gift cards. Could have been someone's birthday recently or some other occasion, and you can get gift cards that are for e.g. Coles Myer, that can be used in a multitude of stores. The gifter may have envisaged they be spent on something special in, say, Myer, but it's not that they could not be spent on Coles groceries...
The strange bit is, were these groceries so urgent that they needed to resort to using gift cards? It's not like they appeared to be out of everything at home and that Amesha had to do a whole weekly shop on gift cards. It was just milk and butter! The sort of things you can go without for one evening if necessary.
My point is, the only reason I imagine why someone would use gift cards is if they had no access to cash or other means of paying and they were for some reason desperate for and in urgent need of said items...

 

[Xantara]

One, to me, puzzling scenario is: if Amesha was concerned or upset by something she saw/heard in the foyer, why did she proceed?
Assuming she was only going out to buy milk and butter, was that worth putting yourself in an unpleasant situation of some sort for??
If it were me, I would have gone back up and made up some excuse why I didnt go ahead - that's if she couldn't be upfront and honest with her father about what she saw or felt in the foyer. And once back upstairs, I would have called police or at least told someone, if I thought I were in danger.
That's what many people would do, all things being equal. But clearly in this case they were not.
One way or another, things don't add up.

 

[spooks]

I don't think she braved the rain to go guy bread and milk. Assuming her brother's story is accurate (it might not be) she could have just made up the store visit as an excuse. Maybe she didn't think that whatever (or whoever she was going to meet) secretly was going to end up in dire fatal circumstances.

If she did see something that disturbed her she must have assumed (as bad it was) that it wasn't anything that endangered her life or it's something she should tell her father about.

They said she looked distressed or agitated in the foyer. Those are disturbing descriptions but it doesn't sound as if she was aware or as if she was feeling from a life threatening situation.

So yes, she WAS upset about something she saw/heard but didn't think her life was in danger. And she didn't put herself through the unpleasant situation for milk and butter, she put herself through it (and the rain) for something else.

 

[Xantara]

I wonder then, was it her plan to return? To say you are going out to buy something as common as milk and butter, puts you in a position where - firstly - one is expected to come back with the goods: milk and butter; and secondly - one puts oneself in a situation where one is expected to be back within a reasonably short period of time!
I wonder what alternative activity she could have had in mind for that period of time, which would still allow her time to go and buy the milk and butter she had committed herself to??...
And how could she arranged a possible meet-up, if not by mobile? And her father had custody of her phone - so that's already one intervention to potential full secrecy.
One also has to think of the motives and perspective of whoever it was who killed her (if it wasn't suicide). How could they have made the arrangement? By email, by phone? If they're a person with evil motives/intentions, then those media retain a trace of contact.
It must have been someone who knew of the creek/underpass, as it is hidden behind a wall. So, had they made some prior arrangement in person? Someone from within the complex? Obviously, someone who knew where she lived and I'd say, had probably been there before?...