Inside the tragic downfall of star private school student who fell into a life of addiction and ended up dead in a scrub with her body burned to a crisp
- Najma Carroll whose body was found in bushland remembered as 'quiet girl'
- Ms Carroll was found dead and half-naked near a quarry in Menai on July 22
- The 33-year-old suffered head injuries and indications she had been set on fire
- Former boyfriend said Ms Carroll was addicted to ice, buying it with benefits
- Police have appealed for anyone with information on her death to come forward
- Ms Carroll's friend said the former top student had suffered from anxiety
A woman whose charred and half-naked body was found dumped in Sydney's south 'had loving parents' and struggled with addiction, a friend has revealed.
A man, only known as Chris, remembered Najma Carroll, 33, as a smart bookworm who rarely spoke about her family and a 'quiet girl' unless talking about her dog or history.
The former Sydney Girls High student's body was located in bushland near Sandy Point Quarry off Heathcote Road in Menai at 5.15pm on July 29.
She was found to have suffered head injuries after being located by a local taking their dog for a walk, and early examinations indicated attempts had been made to set her body on fire.
A murder investigation has been launched.
Najma Carroll (pictured) was found in bushland near Sandy Point Quarry in Menai on July 29
Chris told the Daily Telegraph he and Ms Carroll did a rehab program run by WHOs at Rozelle in 2015, which was supported by her mother.
'Her Mum visited her … she had loving parents, I know that, but every addict has put their parents through hell,' he said.
'We got clean off the drugs at the same time but, sadly, she fell back into it.'
Former boyfriend Mathew Roberts, 50, told the publication Ms Carroll was a regular ice user, who lived with him for about a year and purchased the drug when she received Centrelink payments.
He said she used it to 'forget her problems' and noted she was not in contact with her mother when they lived together.
'Every time she got paid, she wanted to get ice … she was addicted to it all the time. If you woke up at three in the morning and looked, she (would be) up. Who's awake at three in the morning?,' Mr Roberts, a concreter from Moorebank who met her in 2014, said.
NSW Police officers return from searching bushland near Sandy Point Quarry in Menai on July 30 (pictured)
Text messages sent to a friend in the weeks leading up to her death show a young woman plagued by anxiety and troubles.
Ms Carroll was a student at selective school Sydney Girls High and she achieved top HSC marks in modern history and advanced English.
But in recent years, Ms Carroll was 'living a rough life' amid struggles with her mental health.
Sydney High School Old Girls’ Union said in a Facebook post it was 'very saddened to hear of the tragic and violent death' of Ms Carroll, who was in class of 2004.
'We want to extend our sincere condolences to Najma’s family and friends for the loss of a daughter, sibling and friend taken too early. We hope that the person responsible for this terrible crime can be found and brought to justice. One of her classmates remembers Najma’s intelligence, dry sense of humour and kind nature. May she rest in peace,' the post read.
Ms Carroll's friend Ian Clare shared final text messages from the 33-year-old former top student (pictured, left and right)
Her friend Ian Clare told The Daily Telegraph on July 31 he and his girlfriend let Ms Carroll stay with them in Liverpool.
In one text message, Ms Carroll told Mr Clare: 'I'm going to stop writing messages now because more words sent on a text message are not going to relieve any anxiety I have, they're not going to do anything but probably make me feel worse.'
Ms Carroll left her kelpie Chuck behind at their home and in another text said she wanted to visit the dog because 'things haven't been easy lately'.
Mr Clare told the publication he last saw Ms Carroll about a month ago, when the 33-year-old visited his house to grab some of her belongings.
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He described Ms Carroll as 'nice and compassionate' but said she was 'a very unsettled girl, very emotionally disturbed'.
'Last we spoke to her she was living around the Marrickville area on people's couches ... she was basically living the rough life, basically homeless, no steady home,' Mr Clare said.
NSW Police said Ms Carroll was most recently known to reside in Sydney's Inner West.
Police scouring the site at 'white rock' where Ms Carroll was found. Police have appealed for anyone with information on her death to come forward
In February, Ms Carroll came to tears after police at Central Station told her she was going to be searched.
She told police she had 'about a point of ice' in a Kinder Surprise chocolate container which she was going to use. Ms Carroll pleaded guilty to drug possession in court.
A crime scene has been established, with specialist forensic police examining the site on Thursday.
Investigators are marking the area with neon flags close to a popular dirt bike track which has been closed.
Police have appealed to the public for information and asked anyone with information on Ms Carroll's death to come forward.
Ms Carroll's (pictured) body was found with head injuries and indications she had been set on fire
Police are combing the site near popular dirt bike track, which has been closed for their investigation (pictured on Thursday)
They would like to speak with anyone with knowledge of Ms Carroll's movements in the last few days or anyone who saw anything suspicious off Heathcote Road at the site known as 'white rock'.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether she was killed at the scene or her body was dumped there later.
Local detectives and the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.
They say her injuries are consistent with a murder and are treating Ms Carroll's death as suspicious.
Ms Najma (pictured) was a student at selective school Sydney Girls High and she achieved top HSC marks in modern history and advanced English
NSW Police Rescue officers speak with Detective Luke Stibbard near bushland at Sandy Point Quarry in Menai on Thursday (pictured)
