Canberra, Australia — A 27-year-old man has been charged with murder and arson following the death of a woman whose body was discovered inside a burning unit in Canberra’s northern suburb of Belconnen.

Emergency services were called to a unit on Osborne Place at about 6:40 a.m. on May 18 after a fire was reported. Firefighters and police found 46-year-old Kylee McHugh, the resident of the property, inside the unit. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The case initially began as an investigation into a fatal house fire. However, detectives from the ACT Homicide Squad subsequently determined that McHugh’s death was being investigated as a suspected homicide.

After an extensive investigation, police arrested a 27-year-old Canberra man on September 7. Authorities allege that the man killed McHugh before deliberately setting the residence on fire. He has been charged with murder and arson and appeared before the ACT Magistrates Court on September 8.

Court proceedings revealed further details about the investigation. Prosecutors alleged that police believe McHugh had already died before the fire took hold and that investigators identified multiple points where the fire had been started inside the unit.

Police have also said the accused and McHugh were known to each other, although investigators have described their connection as an association rather than a romantic relationship. Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive and say the investigation remains active.

Detectives believe other members of the community may have information that could help establish what happened before and after McHugh’s death. Police are therefore appealing to anyone with relevant information to contact Crime Stoppers.

The accused is currently the only suspect identified in the case. The allegations have yet to be tested at trial, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The matter is expected to return to court in October as the investigation and legal proceedings continue.