A former IT worker accused of stabbing his wife's niece to death and dumping her body in waters off the NSW Central Coast has been denied bail.
The naked body of 25-year-old Mengmei Leng was discovered floating face down inside a blowhole at Snapper Point last weekend.
Sources close to the investigation say a post-mortem revealed the Chinese-born international student had earlier suffered more than 30 stab wounds in a frenzied attack.
Ms Leng's accused killer, her 27-year-old uncle Derek Barrett, fronted Parramatta bail court via video link on Saturday charged with her murder.
Barrett remained silent throughout the brief appearance. He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused, meaning he will remain behind bars until his next court date.
Ms Leng was last seen catching the train home to the southwest Sydney suburb of Campsie on Thursday afternoon, where she lived with her 48-year-old auntie and the accused since arriving in Australia five years ago.
Ms Leng kept in contact with friends until late on Thursday night, before her phone and social media accounts fell silent.
Three days later, a tourist discovered her lifeless body in water more than 100km away.
It's understood the accused and Ms Leng's auntie first reported her missing on Monday, a day after her body was discovered.
Police will allege Barrett murdered the young woman at Campsie while his wife was away for the weekend, some time between 4.45pm on Thursday, April 21, and 10.30am on Sunday, April 24.
It's understood Barrett is originally from the Central Coast town of Gwandalan, which is about 9km from the dangerous blowhole, popular among tourists and fishermen.
His next court date has been set down for Burwood Local Court on Wednesday, May 4, where he's expected to appear via video link.
Ms Leng's mother has flown into Sydney on Saturday as the university student's family and friends mourn her violent death.
