CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses domestic violence.
Police have arrested 28-year-old Danny Zayat in relation to the death of Sydney woman Tatiana Dokhotaru.
Zayat was arrested at around 6am this morning after police carried out a search warrant of his St Clair unit. He was taken to Penrith Police Station where he has been assisting police with their inquiries.
Dokhotaru’s body was discovered with severe head injuries in her apartment in Liverpool in Sydney’s west at around 8pm on May 27 this year. Before her death, at around 11.45pm, she had called 000 but it took police more than 20 hours to locate her apartment in the 297 units within the tower block.
Her body was discovered after a neighbour called the police. Zayat, who was Dokhotaru’s former partner, was reported to be in the apartment when her body was found. At the time, he was taken into custody and charged with a total of 22 domestic violence charges before being granted bail in July by the NSW Supreme Court, per the Daily Telegraph.
Police released CCTV footage from the night before Dokhotaru was found on August 22.
“Just before midnight, there has been a call to triple zero, it stopped abruptly and police will allege that a mobile phone has been thrown from a unit block, from 22 flights up, and has landed somewhere in Norfolk Street and Bathurst Street,” Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said, per 9News.
“We believe there would be evidence on that phone that would be vital to the investigation. Whether it be damaged … it may have been destroyed but we are still keen to find the location of that phone.”
Doherty also said that police had sent investigators to Canada to find answers for Dokhotaru’s family.
“This was a vibrant life that was cruelly taken away and the investigators are determined to identify the person responsible for Tatiana’s death and bring them to justice,” he said.
A separate critical incident investigation into the 000 call and why it took police so long to locate Dokhotaru is ongoing.
Dokhotaru’s family has set up a GoFundMe in the hopes of raising enough money to send her body back to Canada.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
