Sydney Saudi Sisters Death Probe Transferred to Crown Solicitor Due to Complexity
A long-running coronial investigation into the mysterious deaths of two Saudi sisters in their Sydney apartment has been deemed so complex that it has been transferred from police to the Crown Solicitor's Office. The naked bodies of Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were discovered inside their Canterbury flat in the city's south-west in June 2022.
Background of the Case
The sisters had fled Saudi Arabia in 2017 with just $5,000, and their remains were not found for at least a month after they are believed to have died in separate rooms. Both women had active claims with Home Affairs seeking asylum at the time of their deaths, with suggestions they had been living in fear after falling out with their family in the Islamic kingdom.
A spokesman for the NSW Coroner's Court confirmed that a review of the Alsehli sisters' case was conducted recently, but no hearing date has been set yet. The file has been passed to State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan, who recently published findings from the Westfield Bondi Junction massacre inquest.
Investigation Complexity
Typically, coroners are assisted by police prosecutors with specialised training, but in this instance, police informed Ms O'Sullivan that the Alsehli investigation was too big for an individual advocate. Consequently, it was referred to the Crown Solicitor's Office, which has now accepted the referral and will provide counsel when an inquest is held.
There have been claims, yet to be tested in the coronial process, that police believed the siblings made a suicide pact after being cut off by their family. It appeared the pair remained holed up inside the flat from late February 2022, when they stopped receiving money from Saudi Arabia, until their deaths, possibly in early May.
Apartment Details and Disclosure Issues
The Daily Mail has revealed that the unit the sisters rented on Canterbury Road for $480 a week was listed earlier this month for $690. An online advertisement describes it as offering seamless luxury and comfort, with no reference to the deaths. NSW real estate agents must disclose if a property has been the site of a murder or manslaughter within the past five years, but since the cause of death has not been formally established, this obligation may not apply.
When the unit was listed for rent in July 2022, a month after the bodies were discovered, a disclaimer noted the deaths and stated it was not a random crime. Sheriff's officers found the bodies on June 7, 2022, when they came to evict the sisters due to unpaid rent.
Key Findings and Circumstances
Toxicology reports were reportedly inconclusive, but recorded unusual levels of sodium, nitrate, and fluoride in the apartment. The sisters, who shared a black BMW coupe, received a final payment of over $4,400 from family in Saudi Arabia on February 3. Amaal, who managed the funds, paid $960 for rent and transferred $2,000 to her sister.
Police conducted three welfare checks in the months before their deaths as mail piled up outside. After arriving in Australia in 2017, the sisters lived in Fairfield, enrolled at TAFE, and worked as traffic controllers. In 2022, they applied for protection visas, with Asra claiming to be an atheist and Amaal identifying as a lesbian—both forbidden in Saudi Arabia.
Safety Concerns and Final Interactions
An employee of the building management company reported that the sisters raised safety concerns in early 2022, citing a man acting weird outside, but CCTV footage was inconclusive. They also feared someone was tampering with their food deliveries in late 2021, though surveillance found no evidence. Police uncovered no proof of a private investigator following them, as they had told friends.
Sources suggest the young women, aware of the dangers of returning to Saudi Arabia, may have decided to take their own lives. Their only known interaction with the Australian justice system was in 2018, when Asra filed an apprehended violence order application against a man, which was withdrawn the following year. The bodies were returned to Saudi Arabia in August 2022.
