Grim new details have emerged after a man was charged with the murder of a young mother in the Central West region of NSW.
Police discovered the body of teaching assistant Molly Ticehurst, 28, inside a home on Young St in Forbes – more than 370km west of Sydney – at about 1.50am on Monday.
Emergency services had been called to the property after concerns were raised for her welfare.
A crime scene has been established and officers are investigating the circumstances of the death.
A NSW Police spokesman said Daniel Billings, 29, was arrested at a property in Fifield, about an hour northwest of Forbes, and taken to Parkes Police Station.
Police discovered the body of Ms Ticehurst, 28, inside a home on Young St in Forbes – more than 370km west of Sydney – about 1.50am on Monday
He has since been charged with murder (domestic violence) and contravene prohibition/restriction in AVO.
Mr Billings was refused bail and was set to appear in Orange Local Court on Monday afternoon.
Central West Police District crime manager detective Inspector Jason Darcy said the alleged murder was ‘quite brutal’.
‘It was terribly violent,’ he said.
‘I’ve got 34 years in the police, a former homicide detective.
‘I’ve been to a few and it was quite brutal.
‘Thoughts go out to the family of the young lady.’
Inspector Darcy confirmed the pair had previously had some ‘form of domestic relationship’.
Emergency services had been called to the property after concerns were raised for her welfare. Young Street is pictured
Police are also investigating claims that Mr Billings visited Ticehurst’s workplace last week before he was moved on.
‘That’s a line of inquiry,’ he said. ‘Investigations are still alive and ongoing.’
Mr Billings was on bail for another offence at the time of the alleged murder, police confirmed.
Ms Ticehurst, who had worked as at a local childcare centre in Forbes, had returned to her hometown to raise her six-year-old son.
She’d previously posted on social media her son was her ‘whole world’.
‘I love walking in and seeing all the smiley faces, watching them learn new skills and seeing how proud of themselves they are. Couldn’t ask for a better bunch of people to spend every day with also,’ she said in 2022.
A spokesperson for her employer declined to comment.
