A FRIEND remembered Inverell resident Simone Mottram as a bubbly, positive person who would do anything for anybody.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
“When I got really sick, she would come over and offer to go to the shops for me, and stuff like that because I couldn’t drive at the time,” she said.
“That’s the kind of person that she was.”
Simone was discovered with multiple stab wounds on Monday afternoon in her Froude Street home. She died at the scene.
The accused, her son Bradley Craig Mottram, 19, was refused bail and remains in custody with a new trial date set for December 9 in Armidale.
The post-mortem was completed in Newcastle on Wednesday, October 21 and police await the preliminary report.
The friend, who asked not to be identified, attended the same Inverell church as Simone.
The news of Simone’s death reached her friend in stages.
She saw image of the small red Hyundai on Copeton Dam Road on the Inverell Times Facebook page following Bradley’s accident on Monday afternoon, and the vehicle seemed familiar to her.
The next day she was contacted by a family friend with the news of Simone’s death, and her son’s suspected involvement.
“And I just burst into tears,” she said.
New England Crime Manager Detective Inspector Ann Joy said a team of investigators have been working on the case since Monday,
The team has taken several statements from witnesses, and canvassed the neighbourhood.
"They're still busy taking statements and following enquiries," Detective Inspector Joy said.
The specialist forensic examination of the Froude Street home was expected to be completed late Thursday.
The premises are expected to remain cordoned off as detectives continue to piece together the chain of events of Monday afternoon before Bradley was arrested, 30 minutes out of town on the Copeton Dam Rd, after crashing a car.
Detective Inspector Joy said several witnesses had come forward with sightings of the red Hyundai Getz, but police believe more people might have seen the hatchback between Froude St and Copeton Dam Rd.
"Anyone with information on the sighting of that vehicle needs to contact us," she said.
Simone’s friend is still shaken by the news, and said she has been sharing the message to hug your kids.
“One minute you could be happy and doing your shopping, and the next, you’re dead.”
If you have any information related to the incident, please contact Inverell detectives on 6722 0599.
