Mom Found Dead Hours Before Son's Fifth Birthday; Partner Arrested

A 34-year-old woman in Australia was found dead over the weekend, just hours before she was set to celebrate her son's 5th birthday.

Tatiana "Tania" Dokhotaru was found deceased in her apartment in Liverpool, Australia, at about 8 p.m. local time Saturday, almost 24 hours after police officers received an anonymous tip about an alleged domestic dispute in the 297-unit Pinnacle complex where she lived, the Daily Mail reported.

Her partner, identified as Danny Zayat, was arrested at the scene and was charged with several domestic violence-related counts.

The 28-year-old man faces 18 separate counts that include assault, stalking, choking without consent, and contravening an apprehensive violence order, 9News reported.

Zayat has not been charged over Dokhotaru's death. But Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said further charges have not been ruled out.

The suspect did not apply for bail, but a bail review has been scheduled for Friday.

Police had traced the initial call to the Liverpool unit block where Dokhotaru lived but could not find the apartment where the alleged incident had occurred when they arrived at about 3 a.m. The distressed caller did not specify her address.

They discovered Dokhotaru's body after they received a report from one of her neighbors and returned to the unit block Saturday night.

According to neighbors, they heard Dokhotaru's young son Zayn allegedly screaming inside the Norfolk Street apartment at around 2 p.m. Saturday, just hours before she was found with severe head injuries, the Daily Mail reported.

Before her tragic death, the mom-of-one spent her final days enjoying quality time with her son and starting a new business venture, which involved her renting out luxury goods.

Unnamed friends of the victim reportedly told the Daily Mail Australia that Dokhotaru moved to the country about 10 years ago from Russia.

They said Dokhotaru and her son had only recently moved into the block of apartments and had shared a very special bond.

"They just returned from a seven-day holiday in Thailand together. He was a mummy's boy. She did everything for him. They were always together," one friend told the outlet.

Zayn, who turned 5 just hours after his mother was found dead, has been placed under the care of relatives as officials try to reach out to the parents of Dokhotaru, who live in Canada.