The father of slain Brazilian mining executive Cecilia Haddad has spoken on Brazilian television, recounting painful details about his daughter's relationship with former boyfriend Mario Marcelo Santoro.
In an emotional interview, Jose Ibrahim Haddad Jr remembered their final phone conversation.
"She called me and said 'Dad, stay on the telephone. I am coming home and I don't know if he's already gone. He could have already entered the house. Stay on the phone'.
"I asked her 'where are you? She said 'I am going up the elevator'."
Mr Haddad said his daughter reassured him that Mr Santoro was not inside and she said to him 'you can sleep because everything is OK'.
"That was the last time I spoke to her."
Mr Santoro was arrested at a relative's apartment in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday afternoon, after high level negotiations between Brazilian police and Canberra.
A NSW Police spokeswoman said homicide squad detectives were ready to travel to Brazil "as soon as international protocols were met".
Suspicions about Ms Haddad's death were raised immediately because her body was found fully clothed in Lane Cove River, with weights inside each pocket of her cargo pants.
Mr Santoro left for Brazil the same day the 38-year-old's body was discovered.
Ms Haddad's father said he and his wife initially did not believe Mr Santoro was involved.
"I didn't blame him at all at first, because there wasn't sufficient proof," he said.
"He said he very much wanted to get married and live with Cecilia. They studied together in university, and knew each other for a long time."
But Mr Haddad said that Ms Haddad had begun to grow scared of Mr Santoro.
