'She had the soul of an angel': Partner of Australian academic whose body was found buried in a shallow grave in Argentina reveals his heartache after spending two weeks searching for her
- The partner of Lily Pereg has spoken about her willingness to help everyone
- John Finlay said she had recently been promoted to professor at UNE
- Lily Pereg was found dead, along with her sister, in Argentina, last week
- Her nephew, 36-year-old Gilad Pereg, has been charged over their deaths
The partner of an Australian professor whose mutilated body was found buried in a shallow grave in Argentina has revealed his heartache after losing the love of his life.
'It's a nightmare that won't go away,' John Finlay told 7 News on Monday, as he grieved for his partner Lily Pereg.
He said she had only recently been promoted to professor at the University of New England, and had gone to Argentina to help her sister visit her 36-year-old son, Gilad Pereg, who has since been charged with murdering both women.
Mr Finlay had spent two weeks scouring Argentina in a hope to find the missing women, only for that search to come to an abrupt and tragic end on Saturday local time.
'Lily was a beautiful soul and I probably will never find someone as loving as Lily again actually... I miss her, I just miss her,' Mr Finlay said through tears.
'She had the soul of an angel'.
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The partner of a university professor found dead in a shallow grave in Argentina has shared the depths of his grief
John Finlay (left), said his partner Lily Pereg (right) had recently been promoted at work and had gone to the country to help her sister, who was also found dead
Local authorities told media the killings were committed with 'extreme cruelty', with sources close to the investigation alleging the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition and could only be identified by DNA.
One body had sustained three gunshot wounds, while the other had been dragged. Both women allegedly had iron spikes 'staked' through them in various places.
The bodies of microbiology professor Lily Pereg and sister and Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi were found on a lot next to the home of Mr Pereg near the city of Mendoza on Saturday (local time).
Mr Finlay said Dr Pereg was always helping people and had 'the soul of an angel'
Her nephew, Shay Pereg, said after Ms Pereg's body was found that: 'love led you, and evil met you'.
On a GoFundMe dedicated to finding the women, family members called the news of Mr Pereg's arrest 'unfathomable'.
'We found today that Gilad has been arrested, and the investigators are treating it as a murder,' they wrote.
'We hope they are wrong, we know they not.
'No family should be subject to such pain. If Gilad killed his mother and aunt, there will be no condolences.'
In a separate post, the family thanked Argentinian, Australian and Israeli police for their coordinated response.
'We will bring the sisters home for the last time, and will let you know when and where,' the post read.
Local authorities claim the alleged murders of Lily Pereg (left) and Pyrhia Sarusi (right) in Argentina were committed with 'extreme cruelty'
The bodies of microbiology professor Lily Pereg and sister and Israeli citizen Pyrhia Sarusi were found on a lot next to the home of Mr Pereg near the city of Mendoza on Saturday (local time)
Friends say Ms Pereg 'weirdly' stopped replying to daily messages about two weeks before she was found dead.
The two sisters had been renting an apartment in Mendoza, Ms Sarusi's daughter Vered said in a Facebook post.
Dr Pereg was brought up in Israel where she obtained her undergraduate degree, later moving to Australia in the mid 90s.
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She completed a PhD in the Department of Agricultural Science at Sydney University and later moved to the University of New England where she was recently made a professor.
She also chaired the soil, microbiology and biodiversity subdivision of the European Geosciences Union.
Shocked friends and colleagues have taken to a Facebook page for Dr Pereg to pay tribute to their lost loved one.
'She had been a wonderful presence and highly regarded in her field of research,' one person said.
'I am devastated like all of their family and friends. Nothing will bring them back now,' another said.
Lily Pereg (left) and Pyrhia Sarusi (right) had been renting an apartment in Mendoza, Ms Sarusi's daughter Vered said in a Facebook post
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