A teenager has been charged with the rape and murder of a woman who was found dead on a soccer pitch in Carlton North, north of Melbourne, on Wednesday.
A passer-by discovered the woman before 3am on Wednesday, and emergency services were called to the field, but the woman was unable to be revived.
The woman, believed to be aged in her 20s, has not yet been formally identified by police.
The Herald Sun reported that the pitch was cordoned off for 12 hours while forensic examiners combed the field for clues.
Late on Wednesday afternoon, police circulated photos of a man believed to have been of interest in the case, and overnight a 19-year-old man was arrested by homicide squad detectives in Broadmeadows. Police confirmed the man handed himself in after media coverage of the murder on Wednesday.
Victoria Police confirmed he has been charged with one count of rape and one count of murder and will appear at Melbourne Magistrates' Court this morning.
In a press conference on Thursday detective inspector Andrew Stamper said that police were confident that the murder wasn't linked to a rape that happened less than 1km away in Parkville at the end of March, but said the investigation into the murder was still at an early stage.
"It’s the start for us," he said. "Charging someone is the start and there’s a lot of work that has to be done now. We are satisfied at the moment that the two aren’t connected."
Stamper said police believed the victim was not related to the accused.
He said people concerned about walking alone in Melbourne should be aware of their surroundings, and call emergency services if there is any concern.
"My message is that people need to be aware of their own personal security, and be mindful of their surroundings," he said. "We would rather have too many calls than too few."
Anyone with information or dashcam/CCTV footage that might be relevant has been urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.