Michaela Dunn, 24, has been identified as the victim of the Sydney CBD attack.

With AAP.

The woman found dead in a Clarence Street unit in Sydney’s central business district yesterday has been identified as 24-year-old Michaela Dunn.

She was a former student of Rosebank College in Five Dock, and attended the University of Notre Dame in Broadway.

The ABC reports that Dunn had been sharing her Clarence Street apartment with another woman – both of whom are thought to have been sex workers.

Police said Dunn’s flatmate returned to their shared home on Tuesday afternoon, and found Dunn with fatal wounds to her neck.

Her mother told Nine News she was a “beautiful, loving woman who had studied at university and travelled widely,” and others described her as a “beautiful girl from a beautiful family”.

Watch: The victim of Tuesday’s attack in Sydney’s CBD has been identified as Michaela Dunn, 24. Post continues after video.

Police said in a statement, “While she has yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be Michaela Dunn from Sydney’s Inner west.

“While her family appreciate the support offered by the community, they have requested their privacy at this difficult time.”

A joint statement from the Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association and Sex Workers Outreach Project of New South Wales on Wednesday stated:

“A young woman was murdered by a violent man in Sydney’s CBD yesterday.

“All victims involved in this incident were valued members of their families and communities … Michaela Dunn was a woman, a community member, and a whole individual who will be missed and mourned.

“Sex workers regularly face barriers to accessing justice and reporting crimes against us, because so often the violence is attributed to our work … They are equally deserving of empathy and  consideration when befallen by tragedy.

“We are mourning the loss of a valued and loved human being. We offer the victim’s family our deepest and most sincere condolences at this time. Our collective hearts are heavy. ”

A friend of Michaela Dunn remembered her on social media as a “true delight to know”.

I’ve known this girl since she was just a kid in high school at 14. Her sister and I were together for 6 years, and Mikki was like my baby sister. I cannot describe how sad and how broken I am at this moment. I loved this kid. She was incredible. https://t.co/LovdgVVOWe

— Joan A. Westenberg (@Jonwestenberg) August 14, 2019

“I’ve known this girl since she was just a kid in high school…” the tribute read. “Mikki was like my baby sister.”

“I cannot describe how sad and broken I am in this moment. I loved this kid. She was incredible.”

Earlier on Wednesday, a small teddy bear and a plastic rose were left by the door of the building where her body was found. A note read: “Rest in Peace. Taken too soon.”

The accused is Mert Ney, 20, who is alleged to have stabbed Dunn yesterday afternoon, before stabbing a 41-year-old woman at the CBD Hotel on the corner of Clarence and York streets. He was then tackled to the ground by members of the public, who used a chair and a milk crate to restrain him.

Ney's sister spoke with reporters outside the family home on Wednesday, as reported by Sydney Morning Herald.

"She was like, younger than me," she said of the victim. "She could have been going out like within a few hours, to do shopping with her mum, eat dinner with her boyfriend, go speak to her girlfriends ... and now she can't do that can she?

"All the words that I can say isn't ever gonna bring her back, is it? I want to say, I'm really, really sorry. No one should have... she was like, defenceless."

According to AAP, Mert Ney was seen on CCTV footage in an alleyway at 1.30pm on Tuesday, before entering a Clarence Street apartment.

Police believe Ney visited the CBD apartment "for the purposes of prostitution" and had phone contact with the 24-year-old Australian woman before his arrival.

He was arrested by police and taken to a nearby police station. He was later transferred to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where he underwent surgery for a cut to his knee and remains under police guard.

Police expect Ney will be taken into police custody on Wednesday afternoon and plan to charge him over the death of the 24-year-old woman and the stabbing of the 41-year-old woman. He is yet to be interviewed.

Investigators are searching both Ney's family home in Marayong and a second address in Blacktown, where he was thought to be staying. They are also trawling through his social media accounts, phone, and electronic devices.

The incident has not been classified as a terrorist act but police are investigating whether terrorism was his motive. Ney shouted "Allahu akbar" while brandishing the knife on York Street. He also possessed a USB stick with information on recent massacres in the US and New Zealand.

The 41-year-old woman is in a stable condition in hospital.

For more news on the attack:

"We're being traumatised." Waleed Aly on the footage of the Sydney CBD stabbing.

A "lone actor" who was known to police: What we know about the alleged Sydney stabber.

A milk crate, a chair and a fireman: The "heroes" of the Sydney stabbing.