A timeline of the Isla Bell murder investigation, as detailed in police ...
The search for Melbourne woman Isla Bell ended with a shocking discovery, when human remains were found at a Dandenong tip on Tuesday.
Ms Bell's family and friends had spent weeks holding out hope that the 19-year-old was still alive and would return home.
The following timeline is based on a preliminary police brief of evidence released by the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday evening, and public statements by Ms Bell's family.
Police have alleged Ms Bell was bashed to death inside a Melbourne apartment in an attack that was caught on CCTV cameras.
Two men have been charged in relation to her death. The allegations against them have not been proven.
October 4Ms Bell is seen leaving her Brunswick home about 6:00pm.
October 5The alleged killer, Marat Ganiev, later tells police he met Ms Bell when he was moving items from a St Kilda property with his friend Miro Sol.
Mr Ganiev said he offered Ms Bell somewhere to stay if she wanted, which she agreed to.
Ms Bell was seen on CCTV cameras entering Mr Ganiev's apartment for the last time at 9:27pm.
"She is never seen to leave again," police state.
Marat Ganiev, pictured at a younger age on his social media, has faced court charged with murder. (Facebook)
October 6Ms Bell's phone records show the last text message she sent was at 11:34pm.
October 7Just after midnight, Ms Bell sends a Snapchat post to her friend, saying she had found "the best Russian sugar daddy".
"She stated that this person had been lavishing her with gifts and saved her from 'sex traffickers'," police said.
At 12:43am, the CCTV cameras pick up what appears to be a fight occurring inside Mr Ganiev's apartment.
Ms Bell "falls to the ground and Ganiev can then be seen striking her on the ground of the kitchen", police allege. Ms Bell can be seen through the window of Mr Ganiev's apartment until about 2:00am.
That afternoon at 1:50pm, Ms Bell's phone is either switched off or runs out of battery.
October 9An alleged associate of Mr Ganiev, Eyal Yaffe, comes to Mr Ganiev's apartment in a silver Toyota Rav4 towing a trailer.
A black fridge is on the trailer and is moved to the back of the apartment. Mr Sol and another person are present.
Police allege extensive cleaning takes place at Mr Ganiev's apartment.
October 15Ms Bell's mother, Justine Spokes, makes a social media post saying "my girl is missing".
"She leaves an impression, she's hard to forget. She has a fighting spirit, sometimes it's loud and sometimes it's soft, always enduring. We're here for you bub. I love you my care bear," Ms Spokes writes.
"If your gut feeling tells you a situation is off, it's because it usually is — please speak out and say something."
Isla Bell's mother wrote a social media post on October 15 saying her daughter was missing. (Facebook)
October 17Mr Ganiev and Mr Yaffe are captured on CCTV moving the fridge from the apartment and onto the Rav4's trailer.
Police say it is "clearly visible that the fridge has been wrapped in a clear plastic" and black tape has been placed on the edge of the doors.
The fridge is dropped off out the front of a Caulfield South property, where Mr Yaffe is seen "extensively cleaning items from the vehicle and trailer".
October 19Police attempt to contact Mr Ganiev for the first time, after finding his details on Ms Bell's phone records.
An hour later, he is seen transporting the fridge to a property in Hampton. A neighbour reports that the trailer has a "foul smell" and was attracting flies.
Mr Ganiev agrees to a police interview, and tells officers he dropped Ms Bell off in Caulfield on the afternoon of October 7.
October 22At 4:57am, Mr Ganiev drives the Rav4 to a third address in Bentleigh East. It remains there for three or four days.
That same day — which would have been Ms Bell's 20th birthday — her mother makes an appeal for information at a press conference.
"Isla, you're deeply, widely loved by so many people, and your family and friends are just so distressed, darling," Ms Spokes says.
October 28Police interview Mr Yaffe, where he tells them he delivered a new fridge to Mr Ganiev and removed an old one. He denies having seen the fridge since, or knowing what happened to Ms Bell.
Mr Yaffe is then followed by police, who observe him talking to Mr Ganiev and throwing a bag into a rubbish bin. Police retrieved the bag, believing it belonged to Ms Bell.
Mr Ganiev drives the Rav4, trailer and fridge to Mulgrave. He puts the fridge at the back of a removalist van, stored behind other items.
Isla Bell's family have described her as a beautiful, kind person who loved being in nature and who cared deeply about the environment. (Facebook)
November 18A witness finds the fridge and removes the plastic wrapping and tape around its doors.
A bag falls out, and the witness believes animal remains are inside.
The witness puts the fridge on a street corner in Bentleigh, where hard rubbish is already present. He throws the bag of remains in a residential rubbish bin.
November 19Police execute search warrants and find the witness, the van and the fridge.
Police identify rubbish trucks that had picked up bins in Bentleigh, and locate Ms Bell's remains at a waste facility in Dandenong.
Mr Ganiev and Mr Yaffe are both arrested.
During police interviews, Mr Ganiev admits to transporting Ms Bell's remains after she died but denies assaulting her or causing her death.
Police allege Mr Yaffe was due to fly to Bulgaria the following day.
Mr Ganiev, 53, is charged with murder. Mr Yaffe, 57, is charged with assisting a murder offender.
November 20Both men face the Melbourne Magistrates' Court for the first time. Given the early stage of the proceeding, neither men are required to speak or enter a plea.
Mr Ganiev is remanded in custody until March 2025, and lawyers for Mr Yaffe indicate they will make an application for bail on Friday.
As Ms Bell's death is confirmed, friends and family pay tribute to the deceased woman, who once dreamed about becoming a marine biologist.
Police allege Isla Bell was murdered on October 7, shortly before her 20th birthday. (Facebook)
"Isla was a beautiful, kind, honest, courageous person," her uncle Tom Hope tells the ABC.
"She loved gardening, she loved being in the water, being in nature, she cared deeply about the environment, was passionate about climate justice and social justice.
"Nothing can bring her back but we will carry her with us in our hearts and honour her in how we chose to live."
