A 52-year-old woman has been charged with murdering a childcare student whose body was found dumped under a bridge on the NSW Far South Coast.
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Detectives arrested the woman at a property in Bega on Tuesday and charged her overnight with murdering 26-year-old Marnielee Cave and wounding her with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Two campers discovered Ms Cave's body lying under the Mogareeka Bridge in the coastal town of Tathra, 20 kilometres from her home in Bega, on October 14.
Ms Cave's handbag and phone were missing but she was wearing a distinctive butterfly pendant necklace. In the days after her death, police released a photograph of that necklace in a bid to identify her.
Ms Cave, who grew up in Canberra before moving to Bega four years ago, was studying childcare at TAFE and volunteered with helping the homeless and disadvantaged.
She was last seen walking past Momsen Motors in Bega the day before her body was discovered.
At the time of her death, close friend Patrick Aberdeen told Fairfax Media that Ms Cave had recently told him that she had received a death threat.
"She was a bit worried due to the fact that person was a bit intimidating," he said.
Ms Cave had battled with domestic violence and depression in the past but she didn't let that cloud her bubbly personality, friends said.
Investigators from Far South Coast Local Area Command commenced Strike Force Bract to investigate Ms Cave's death.
The woman charged with Mr Cave's murder was refused police bail and is due to appear in Batemans Bay Local Court on Wednesday.