The 19-year-old travelled to Japan on a ski trip with mates, competed in the Ironman 70.3 in Taupo in New Zealand, obtained her motorcycle licence, and enlisted in the Navy. Last month, she was on farewell tour of sorts on the Central Coast, spending time with loved ones and childhood friends before the next exciting chapter of her life began. On March 22, Audrey took her grandma out for lunch and paid a visit to her grandfather in hospital, before heading out with a group of girlfriends that night. In the early hours of March 23, after celebrating at Hotel Gosford, festivities drew to a close and she left the pub at about 2am to make her way back to her father’s house. It was the last time she was seen alive. Audrey hadn’t been able to get an Uber, so she set off on foot along The Entrance Road, hoping to hail a cab along the way. “She’d taken the long way home along the water, obviously to try and hail down a cab, or she would have taken a shortcut through the heart of Gosford,” her devastated mother Kathleen Kirby told The Sydney Morning Herald. Twelve hours later, her body was found in a creek, and the clock began ticking on a bizarre month-long police probe of her death. Quickly ruled an accidental drowning, police maintained that there were no indications of foul play right up until late last week. Then, on Monday, came the sensational announcement that a man – a total stranger – had been arrested and charged with her alleged murder. It was a vindication of her mother’s instincts from the start. “My gut and my head were telling me something wasn’t right,” Ms Kathleen Kirby told 7 News. One tragic hour While walking home, Audrey sent two Snapchat messages to her friends, which helped police to track some of her movements via geolocation. Sometime around 3am, a resident near Erina Creek heard high-pitched screaming that lasted for about a minute, but figured it was a fox. Around that time, Audrey’s friends tried unsuccessfully to reach her, concerned they hadn’t heard from her that she was home safe. They phoned the police to report her missing. Just before 4pm that day, her partially submerged body was found in Erina Creek and a preliminary autopsy suggested she had drowned. Police quickly announced her death was not being treated as suspicious and indicated Audrey had suffered some kind of misadventure, which was a view they maintained for the better part of four weeks – at least publicly. Despite the repeated remarks to the media to the contrary, investigators would’ve likely had their suspicions from the start, renowned criminologist Xanthe Mallett, associate professor at Central Queensland University, said. “Once you’ve gone down the path of not suspicious, it’s very difficult to go back and start collecting that evidence, so it would’ve always been on their minds,” Dr Mallett told news.com.au. “That would be partly to do with the victimology in this case – a young woman on her own late at night, in a vulnerable situation, which will always raise red flags. Police will always consider a death suspicious by default until there’s evidence to suggest otherwise. “Even though the post-mortem came back and indicated no obvious evidence of third-party involvement, I suspect they would’ve kept an open mind and not entirely ruled it out.” An allegedly opportunistic crime Almost a month to the day after Audrey’s body was found, Adrian Noel Torrens was on Monday arrested as he left a home in Surry Hills in Sydney and charged with Audrey’s murder. Police allege the 53-year-old man killed her during a “physical altercation”. It’s alleged the man, who was a stranger, followed Audrey in the darkness before attacking her. Police claim some of his DNA was found beneath her fingernails, which could indicate she had tried to fight him off. Scratches were evident on her arms, as well as a heavy mark on the left of her face, which police allege was the result of blunt-force trauma. Investigators believe Torrens allegedly bashed Audrey and either left her for dead in the creek or held her underwater until she drowned. His mobile phone allegedly pinged at 2.43am near Pateman Road, close to where her body was found. Pressed about the month between her death and the bombshell arrest, New South Wales Police Superintendent Darryl Jobson said the case had “not sat well” with investigators from early on. “For a 19-year-old woman to meet her death in a creek was very unsettling for us, because we want the answers,” Mr Jobson said. “These are the types of cases where police want answers, because families want answers.” The crucial trigger Investigators received “significant information” after releasing an image of a man, alleged to be Torrens, last Thursday. He was said “simply” to be a person who could assist with their inquiries. “We are not implicating that this man was somehow involved in the incident, we have no indication of that,” Acting Inspector Samantha Richards said. “We’re simply hoping he might have some information to help us piece together what has happened.” Dr Mallett said the grainy CCTV could have been the crucial “trigger” that turned the case on its head. Within a day, police say they received tips from “sources” that allegedly confirmed the simmering theory that detectives were dealing with a murder, Mr Jobson said. “We received significant information, which changed the nature of the investigation from a coronial matter to a homicide.” Detectives worked “tirelessly” over the weekend to bring the pieces of a murky puzzle together, leading them to Torrens. He was arrested on Monday at about 11am. The matter was briefly heard at the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, but Torrens did not appear nor apply for bail. His lawyer Bashir Elkheir told reporters outside court that Torrens had not yet indicated how he would plea. Dr Mallett is part of the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research, and while she wouldn’t comment on this individual case, she said someone who has violent tendencies could pose a risk to the broader community. “I wouldn’t want to speculate or comment on this particular individual,” Dr Mallett said. “Generally speaking, somebody who is capable of violence, of domestic family violence, potentially coercive control and all of those other factors that we know surround violence against women in their own homes … “I wouldn’t say that it suggests they would or could go on and kill. Certainly, that would be a leap. But if somebody already has violent tendencies, that could put other people potentially at risk.” Remembering a vibrant young woman Ms Kirby described her daughter as vibrant, smart and beautiful and said she and the close-knit community had been left devastated by her death. “She had the world at her feet,” she told the Herald yesterday. “She was amazing. Absolutely amazing.” Audrey had played water polo in Gosford and was a member of the Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club. She also played junior and senior rugby league with the Terrigal Wamberal Sharks. “With a larger-than-life personality, and happy-go-lucky nature, Audrey would hit with sting then check that they were OK, and then skip to each of the scrums,” the club said in a statement on social media. “Audrey will be sorely missed by the Sharks family. May she rest in peace.” She was a graduate of Central Coast Sports College in 2023, which issued a statement praising the “remarkable young woman whose vibrant spirit and laughter will never be forgotten”. “She embraced life with joy, kindness and boundless enthusiasm, leaving behind a legacy of compassion and inspiration. “Though her time with us was tragically short, her impact will forever resonate within our college community. We mourn her loss and extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all who grieve this profound loss.” Her friend Darci Tabone said Audrey’s death had left everyone “heartbroken”. “Audrey touched everyone, not just in her community but all over the country,” Ms Tabone wrote on a GoFundMe appeal. “She was the light in many of our lives. There is no doubt she bought endless laughter and joy to everyone. She was the kindest soul to walk this earth and will always be in our hearts.” The fundraiser has brought in $30,000, which will help the family cover the unexpected costs of Audrey’s funeral.