The mother of a transgender prostitute murdered and dismembered by her boyfriend has remembered her eldest child as the cheerful, bold and loving backbone of her family.
Mayang Prasetyo worked as a high class escort in Brisbane to support her family in Indonesia before she was killed, allegedly by boyfriend Marcus Volke, in their flat.
A woman's dismembered body part was boiling on a stove in the flat and Volke took his own life after fleeing the Teneriffe home when police arrived to investigate on Saturday night.
Ms Mayang's mother Nining Sukarni, who refers to her eldest child as her son, Febri, is heartbroken.
"He was a kind person, cheerful, warm to people, effervescent, always going from here to there," she told AAP.
"There's nothing bad to say about him at all.
"He was the backbone of the family."
Ms Mayang sent money home to Lampung every month, covering all of the expenses of her mother and younger siblings.
She travelled on an Indonesian passport with the male name Febri Andri Ansyah.
Ms Nining said the couple last visited about this time last year, and everything seemed fine.
"Our impression of Marcus was kind, polite," she said.
"Even after meeting him for only the first time, we already cared for him. We really can't believe it."
Ms Mayang was never shy, and had dreams of becoming a singer or an actor, her mother said.
Her Facebook friends remembered the same bold personality.
"Mayang was larger than life," wrote one friend, who recalled her wish to one day become a mother and a successful businesswoman.
Residents of the couple's building grew suspicious last week after a foul smell began to emanate on the ground floor.
Courtney Reichart said by Saturday the stench was "eye-watering".
An electrician has said he may have unknowingly stumbled upon the macabre scene on Saturday, after Volke called to have his stove repaired during a blackout.
Electrician Brad Coyne said he noted a "squelch" as he walked on the carpet and Volke told him 'you'll have to mind the smell. The smell is obviously quite strong'.
"He said 'I'm cooking a pig's broth at the moment'," Mr Coyne told Network Ten.
He also feared for his own safety when he noticed rubber gloves, bleach and a "massive" cooking pot on the stove.
Volke's mother, Dorothy Volke, has said she spoke to her son a week ago and there was no reason to be concerned.
He will be buried near the family home in Victoria.
* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
