‘A shell of herself’: Family raised concerns before woman, 21, was found dead in Carlton

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains an image of a person who has died, which has been used with the permission of the family.

A 21-year-old woman found dead inside a Carlton apartment has been identified by her family as Jayda Allen.

Allen’s body was discovered on the fifth floor of an apartment complex on Cardigan Street just before 2am on Saturday.

Police arrested a 60-year-old man in the building’s underground carpark shortly afterwards. He was questioned and later released.

Allen’s family said the young woman had been living at the apartment with her partner.

Her aunt, Kellie Carter-Bell, said relatives were completely heartbroken by the news.

“Three different people were ringing me, and I’m thinking, not our Jada girl. Not our Jada girl,” Carter-Bell told 9News.

“She’s had a really difficult, hard life. But was so, so, so loved.”

Carter-Bell described Allen as a deeply caring young woman.

“She was a caring, loving soul. She was an indigenous girl. She just had a heart of gold, and would do anything for you,” she said.

The family said they had been concerned about Allen in the weeks before her death.

“She was a shell of herself. She was like a ghost, almost. She had lost so much weight,” Carter-Bell said.

Residents at the apartment complex told 9News they had previously heard yelling coming from the fifth floor and said police had attended the building before.

They said they didn’t hear or see anything unusual the night before Jayda was found.

Homicide detectives spent Saturday speaking with locals and collecting bags of evidence.

Carter-Bell said her family wanted answers about what happened to Allen.

“Something needs to change. The system needs to change.”

Investigations continue.