![Comrie Cullen with a former colleague.](http://web.archive.org./web/20140125115130im_/http://images.smh.com.au/2014/01/25/5105427/729-comrie-cullen-620x349.jpg)
Found dead: mother-of-three Comrie Cullen, right, with a former colleague.
Friends of a mother of three killed in a secluded car park in southern Sydney say they knew she was unhappy but were unaware she feared for her safety.
The body of Comrie Cullen, 39, was found slumped next to a white car in a pool of blood in the car park of the St George and Sutherland Shire Anglers Club at Taren Point on Wednesday afternoon.
I can't imagine the terror and fear she would have felt.
It is understood Ms Cullen, who came from Northern Ireland, had her throat slashed.
Her estranged husband, Christopher Cullen, was found in mangroves nearby with cuts to his body and arms – wounds police believe were self-inflicted.
The 50-year-old, who was originally from Liverpool, England, remained in St George Hospital under police guard on Saturday. He has not been able to be interviewed about Ms Cullen's death.
Police would not speculate whether the Cullens had arranged to meet at the Anglers Club, but court documents show the pair were due in Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday morning.
The couple's three children, aged 5, 7 and 11, have been told of their mother's death and remain in the care of family friends.
Ms Cullen's family, from Bangor in County Down, say they are seeking to have her body repatriated.
"Our family is devastated by Comrie's tragic death and we would ask for no media intrusion at this time," they said in a statement through the Northern Ireland police.
A close friend said Ms Cullen's decision to leave the marriage last October was difficult because she did not have a bank account of her own. She left with nothing, and was trying to balance the demands of working at a local beauty salon to make a new life with her wish to spend time with her children.
She was also having to deal with "petty" legal disputes with her ex-husband, including over a car they jointly owned, and issues to do with his carpentry business.
Another friend, Rebecca, who had been friends with Ms Cullen for three years, said she knew Ms Cullen was unhappy but did not think the "strong, assertive" woman would be in any danger.
"I can't imagine the terror and fear she would have felt," Rebecca said.
"Throughout, her thoughts would have been about her children. She even missed them when she just went off to work.
"The death of a mother is a loss for any child, but the loss of a mother like Comrie just compounds it."
The media in Britain have reported that Ms Cullen's family is making arrangements to come to Sydney to be with the three children.