Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this story contains the name and image of a person who has died.
Police have arrested a 37-year-old man and charged him with the murder of a woman in Adelaide’s parklands.
Michelle Sumner was found unresponsive at Edwards Park, in the southern parklands, on January 20 this year.
Police said Ms Sumner’s cause of death was “initially unclear” but that a forensic examination later determined she had died from an assault.Â
Michelle Sumner was found unresponsive in Adelaide’s southern parklands in January 2025. (Supplied: SA Police)
“The matter was declared a major crime and detectives have since worked extensively to establish the circumstances surrounding Michelle’s death,” SA Police said in a statement.
They said the charged man and Ms Sumner were known to each other.
Detective Acting Superintendent Andrew Macrae said the arrest “marks a significant step forward in what has been a long and complex investigation”.
“We hope today’s development offers Michelle’s family some measure of comfort,” he said.
The accused man, of no fixed address, was refused bail and is expected to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Police have urged anyone with information about Ms Sumner’s death to contact Crime Stoppers.