Audrey Griffin's mum knew something wasn't right. Then she checked her location.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this article contains names of deceased persons.

Audrey Griffin did everything right.

After a night out with friends, Audrey headed home in the early hours of March 23, intending to go to her dad's house.

She attempted to book an Uber, unsuccessfully, so she tried to hail a taxi.

She stayed in contact with her friends.

She looked out for herself.

She did everything women are told to do to keep us safe.

But it still wasn't enough. It never is.

Hours later, police found Audrey's body partially submerged in Erina Creek on NSW's Central Coast. She was allegedly killed by a stranger as she walked home.

Adrian Noel Torrens was charged with her murder after a four-week investigation. Last week, Torrens was found dead in a cell at Western Sydney's Silverwater Correctional Complex after reportedly taking his life.

Kathleen Kirby with her daughter Audrey Griffin. Image: Facebook.

Speaking to A Current Affair on Monday, Audrey's mother Kathleen Kirby recalled the harrowing moment her daughter's best friend discovered her body.

When Kathleen woke on March 23 and checked Audrey's location to ensure her daughter made it home okay, she immediately knew something was terribly wrong.

"I'd woken up and I looked at the phone and I saw the location, and straight away I was alarmed," she said.

Unable to reach Audrey, Kathleen called her daughter's friends, who rushed to Audrey's last known location along Erina Creek, just metres from the road.

There, they made a startling discovery. Audrey's bag, hair clip and phone.

And then — her body, face down in the creek.

"It's not right for a young girl to have to find her best friend in the water," Kathleen said.

Audrey was a bright athlete with her whole life ahead of her. Image: GoFundMe.

Piecing together the timeline.

Audrey was out with friends on the night of March 22 and had left them at the Hotel Gosford about 2am on March 23, saying she was going to grab an Uber or taxi back to her dad's house.

Kathleen believes her daughter started walking after failing to get a ride home and decided to take the long way along the water in hopes of finding a car, as she otherwise could've taken a shortcut through the heart of Gosford.

According to The Daily Telegraph, police documents state Audrey's last known movements were near Punt Bridge in Erina. She had sent two Snapchat videos to a friend, who became concerned when Audrey didn't make it home or respond to messages.

It was then Kathleen called Audrey's friends and they made the devastating discovery.

For weeks, police maintained her death wasn't suspicious.

On April 17, they made an appeal for more information, doubling down that Audrey had likely died by misadventure.

But Kathleen was never convinced.

"She was a swimmer, she's an ocean swimmer, she was strong," she told A Current Affair.

"My gut was telling me one thing, and it was not to give up. I couldn't just go with, 'She drowned'. Not one person has walked up to me and said she drowned… No one believed it."

Police would later admit the initial autopsy finding didn't sit right with them either.

Speaking last week, Superintendent Darryl Jobson said a post-mortem examination of Audrey's body didn't initially suggest suspicious circumstances, but "the seriousness of the matter" prompted police to keep digging.

"For a 19-year-old woman to meet her death in a creek, it was very unsettling for us as investigators," he said. "These are the types of cases where police want answers, because families want answers."

Kathleen is fighting for justice after losing her only child. Image: A Current Affair.

Over four weeks, police received several leads. Then, on April 18, the case broke open.

Jobson said police received "significant information which transferred this investigation to a homicide investigation." It led them to arrest and charge Torrens with murder.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Torrens allegedly confessed to Audrey's murder in a phone call in the weeks after her death.

"I just f**king clicked and I have no reason for my actions," he reportedly said on the call. "I just did it, man. I was so f**ked up, you know?"

In a following call, he apparently admitted to killing someone.

"I killed someone about a month ago, and now they're looking for me," he is reported to have said.

Police say Torrens killed Audrey during a "physical altercation".

According to The Daily Telegraph, police say Audrey tried to fight Torrens off after he followed her and scratched him in the process, resulting in his DNA ending up under her fingernails.

They say Torrens struck Audrey and knocked her unconscious, causing her to drown, or held her underwater.

The 53-year-old's matter was briefly mentioned in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday when bail was formally refused. Then on Thursday, Torrens died in custody.

Audrey's alleged murder has shocked the community. Image: GoFundMe.

Demanding action.

Audrey was a student and a talented triathlete. She was just weeks away from starting her career in the navy. She had her whole life ahead of her.

Her alleged murder has fuelled a wider conversation about violence against women. One question has cropped up again and again: why wasn't more done to prevent this?

Torrens had a horrific history of domestic violence offences. According to A Current Affair, he was imprisoned in 2020 for 20 months but received parole after just four. Last May, another apprehended domestic violence order was imposed against him.

Then in January, he was hit with a community corrections order, but managed to avoid jail.

This month, he was charged with Audrey's murder along with 11 unrelated domestic violence charges.

The red flags were there all along.

Hundreds gathered at a vigil for Audrey in Terrigal. Image: Supplied.

Kathleen is demanding action, calling on political leaders to make a change.

"Get on board, do something, make a change," she pleaded to Australian leaders on A Current Affair.

"She wasn't a number," she added.

"She's not another person that just gets brushed under the carpet."

Audrey's community is ensuring that never happens.

On Thursday, Terrigal Beach transformed into a sea of white, as family, loved ones and strangers gathered to remember the 19-year-old.

A march led by What Were You Wearing, an Australian not-for-profit organisation fighting to end sexual violence, was held for the community on Sunday at Gosford Waterfront Park.

It was sparked by calls from young people in the community, group events coordinator Brianna Harvey told AAP.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by What Were You Wearing Australia (@whatwereyouwearing_)

Brianna grew up in the Central Coast region.

"The community is so small that I feel like when something like this happens, you almost feel like it happens to you," she told AAP ahead of the march. "It's such a shocking thing to happen. Things need to be done about it."

She continued: "Showing up in solidarity with each other spurs hope into people.

"That what they're doing matters and it will actually create some sort of change."

Acknowledgement was one of the first steps to achieving changes, including legislative reform, Brianna added.

A life cut short.

Audrey was the 22nd Australian woman killed this year, according to Sherele Moody's Australian Femicide Watch.

Her life was only just beginning.

She had plans to move to Melbourne this year to join the navy and play football. That bright future has been taken from her.

Audrey was a talented athlete, having only recently completed the Ironman 70.3 New Zealand just weeks before her death — an incredible feat comprising a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21.1km run.

She was a much-loved figure in the Central Coast community, as a member of Terrigal Surf Life Saving Club and the Terrigal Sharks Rugby League Club, and a former vice-captain of the Central Coast Sports College.

The college paid tribute to the 19-year-old as "remarkable young woman whose vibrant spirit and laughter will never be forgotten.

"She embraced life with joy, kindness, and boundless enthusiasm, leaving behind a legacy of compassion and inspiration," it continued.

Audrey recently completed the Ironman 70.3 New Zealand. Image: Facebook.

Audrey also represented the Gosford Water Polo team, with her former teammates paying tribute to her during its ladies division three the grand final last month.

"Audrey participated in a wide variety of sports and always bought a smile to those around her," the team said. "This tragedy has affected the many people who were fortunate enough to know Audrey."

In a funeral note, loved ones remembered Audrey as a "radiant soul — full of light, kindness and laughter".

"She touched the hearts of all who knew her, and her absence leaves an unfillable space in our lives," it read.

A GoFundMe set up described her as "the light in many of our lives".

"There is no doubt she bought endless laughter and joy to everyone," it said. "She was the kindest soul to walk this earth and will always be in our hearts."

To support Audrey's family, visit the fundraiser here.

We will keep this post updated as more information comes to light.

— With AAP.

Feature image: A Current Affair.

This article was originally published on April 22, 2025, and has since been updated with new information.