Murdered student's boyfriend dumbstruck

The boyfriend of Sophie Collombet, the international student founded murdered on the banks of the Brisbane River, had been looking forward to reuniting with her in France in two months.

Instead he was calling police from his home country to help them identify her body after baffled detectives made a public plea for assistance.

Ms Collombet, 21, was completely naked save for some pieces of jewellery when her brutally bashed body was found slumped in a gazebo at South Bank near the river's edge early last Friday morning.

Her flatmates, also international students, reported her missing on Monday after being unable to contact her over the weekend.

But it was her boyfriend, known as Boris, who also played a key role in identifying the body, when he called police from France after recognising publicised images of Ms Collombet's jewellery, including a distinctive "skull" ring.

Boris had left Ms Collombet behind in Australia only a month earlier after his visa ran out.

The pair reportedly were heartbroken to be separated, a close friend told the Courier-Mail, but Ms Collombet had been planning to move back to France to be with him in June.

That was when she was due to complete her masters in international business at Griffith University.

"She was such a happy young lady but she took it pretty hard when Boris went back to France," the friend, Roselyne Trott, was quoted as saying.

"It was difficult for them to say goodbye to each other."

Ms Trott said she broke the terrible news to Ms Collombet's family, who had heard there was a murder in Brisbane and had been worried about the French student's welfare after being unable to contact her over the weekend.

Ms Trott said confirming the news to Boris was also difficult.

"He couldn't say one word," she said. "I heard a very weak ‘OK’ but nothing came out of his mouth. Nothing at all, he couldn't talk."

It is understood Ms Collombet's family is preparing to travel from France to Brisbane.

The young woman had studied German, English and international business at the University of Savoy in France before deciding to broaden her horizons in Australia, arriving on a student visa in February last year, the Brisbane Times reports.

She also advertised her services as a cleaner, barista and administrative assistant in a bid to save money.

Police say she was the victim of a brutal attack and died from a blunt trauma injury to the brain.

Detectives are yet to determine whether she was sexually assaulted or robbed and are still trying to piece together her final movements.

Police say she may have last been captured on CCTV footage walking alone in the inner city between 2am and 3am on Friday.

What she was doing at South Bank, who she met with and why remain a mystery.

Source: Courier Mail, Brisbane Times

Author: Erin Tennant, Approving editor: Martin Zavan