When her body was found it took almost one week to formally identify Ms Cartwright, due to the bruising she had suffered. She had sustained head injuries and her wrists were bound.
Her death captured the hearts of the local community, which held a candlelit vigil to pay their respects in the days after her body was found.
“This was a young woman who was brutalised, murdered and dumped in a park in a callous act,” Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said.
On Wednesday Ms Cartwright’s brother Ben said: “Nicole was very much loved as a sister and daughter, a cherished member of our family.”
Nicole Cartwright. Credit:Instagram
He said his family grieves daily for his sister and “the life she never got to live. We are still struggling to comprehend that she will never be coming home.”
Ms Cartwright lived with her parents at Lansvale in Sydney’s west.
Friends described her as “a beautiful girl, who wouldn’t even hurt a fly.”
She was a lover of dogs and a regular user of online dating applications, classifieds, and social media, all of which she used to meet people.
Investigations into six such dating platforms are ongoing. They are not believed to be mainstream dating apps such as Tinder.
Police made two public appeals for information about Ms Cartwright and her whereabouts at the time of her death. The second appeal was attended by her mother Brenda, father Terry and her brother Ben and his wife Jackie.
Public transport CCTV images and Ms Cartwright’s Opal card were critical in leading police to map out her movements in her final days.
On September 30 Ms Cartwright was seen at Museum railway station, later meeting up with a group in Paddington around 9.45pm. She was then seen walking with a friend on Flinders Street about 10pm before catching an Uber on Moore Park Road about 12.30am on October 1.
Ms Cartwright then travelled to the vicinity of Robson Park on Crescent Street, Haberfield. It is alleged she was headed to meet Mr Pietrobon, who was allegedly the last person to see her alive.
Subsequent forensic testing found traces of methylamphetamine in her system. However, a post mortem was unable to determine the exact cause of death.
Both public appeals garnered a number of tips, including people who had met Ms Cartwright on a casual basis in the period leading up to her death.
Dennis Pietrobon during his arrest in the foyer of Parramatta police station on Wednesday.Credit:NSW Police
Detective Superintendent Doherty said both community assistance and forensic evidence allegedly linked Mr Pietrobon to the crime scene and Ms Cartwright’s body.
“It will be alleged this man took her from an address to the reserve and dumped her body … it is a callous and heinous criminal act and a tragedy for the family,” he said.
He said the accused allegedly used a number of cars in the process of discarding Ms Cartwright’s body.
It took almost two years to build the alleged case against Mr Pietrobon, but his arrest on Wednesday was far quicker.
Brenda Cartwright (centre), mother of Sydney woman Nicole Cartwright during a public appeal in 2019.Credit:AAP
The 51-year-old walked straight into the hands of arresting officers at Parramatta police station, where he was attending on an unrelated matter.
He was refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday.
On the one year anniversary of her death last year, Ben Cartwright pleaded for information from the public and delivered a message to those responsible.
“To the person who did this, you have cut short Nicole’s life, destroyed our family and shattered our heart.”
Lucy Cormack is a crime reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.
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