A devastated community will hold a candlelight vigil and public prayer for Qi Yu, the Chinese national believed to have been murdered in Sydney three weeks ago.
Ms Yu, 28, was last seen by friends at a Campsie share house in the city's southwest.
Her 19-year-old housemate was charged with her murder four days later, and police believe her body may have been dumped in bushland in the Berowra area in the city's north.
Police search teams, supported by cadaver dogs, helicopters and marine units, have spent weeks scouring vast tracts of bushland and waterways around Mount Kuring-gai, Berowra and Cowan for signs of her body.
Qi Yu was allegedly murdered by her housemate in Sydney. Source: AAP
Ms Yu's parents are struggling to come to terms with their daughter's disappearance and issued an emotional plea for information at a press conference on Tuesday.
Berowra Heights local Kate Glenn says the search activity has been distressing.
"Explaining this to our children - why there are horses, dogs and choppers, SES everywhere for the past few weeks is very confronting."
But she has organised the vigil to show support for Ms Yu's family and the searchers.
She said she had been upset by accusations on social media Ms Yu's death was being ignored by media and society compared with the murder of Eurydice Dixon in Melbourne.
Qing He, the mother of missing women Qi Yu, with her photo. Source: AAP
"This community may not be as populated as the inner suburbs of Melbourne but I can assure you we are rocked and doing all we can," she wrote on Facebook.
She said bushwalkers and residents had been checking fire trails in an attempt to help authorities recover Ms Yu's remains.
Police investigators tasked with solving the case are expected to attend, she said.
The vigil will be held at Berowra Oval on Friday at 6pm.
