Police took nearly 20 hours to enter a high-rise apartment where 34-year-old Tatiana Dokhotaru lay dead, hours after she called triple zero saying her ex-partner was “trying to kill” her, according to court records and officials. Officers reached the building within hours of the cut-off call on May 26, 2023, but left without getting inside the unit. The next evening, authorities forced entry and found Dokhotaru fatally injured in her Liverpool apartment.
The case has become a flashpoint in Australia’s domestic violence crisis and the subject of scrutiny over police procedures. Prosecutors said Dokhotaru’s ex-partner, 31-year-old Danny Zayat, assaulted her so severely she suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage. In December 2025, a Supreme Court judge imposed a 24-year sentence with a non-parole period of 18 years. While the criminal case reached its conclusion, a parallel review of the initial police response remains a sensitive issue for the family and advocates who say opportunities to save her were missed. Officials have acknowledged gaps and pledged to examine how officers handled the 000 call, the apartment search and the hours-long delay before entry.
On the night of May 26, 2023, Dokhotaru dialed triple zero from the 22nd floor and told the operator her ex was attacking her. The call lasted about 89 seconds before cutting out when, prosecutors said, Zayat threw her phone off the balcony. Without the apartment number and with the call disconnected, officers arrived at the complex roughly three hours later and tried to confirm the unit but left without forcing entry or locating the caller. By early evening on May 27, after a fresh wave of information and renewed concern, police entered the apartment and found Dokhotaru inside with catastrophic head injuries. A small child was also in the home and had been alone for hours before relatives and responders arrived, according to evidence summarized in court. “It is a case that will forever haunt us,” a family representative said outside court after sentencing.
At trial, prosecutors described a pattern of surveillance, intimidation and physical assaults by Zayat in the months before the killing, including violations of an apprehended domestic violence order. Jurors heard that in the minutes around the 000 call, neighbors reported raised voices and a loud crash. Security footage captured Zayat leaving with cash and later returning to the building. When he eventually contacted emergency services, he tried to suggest a medical episode, a claim the judge rejected as a deception. The medical examiner determined Dokhotaru died from blunt force trauma that caused a fatal brain bleed, with three significant blows identified. Justice Desmond Fagan said Zayat’s conduct was marked by “cowardice” and control, concluding the murder followed an escalation of abuse.
Police officials have said the initial response was complicated by the dropped call, the missing unit number and a sprawling complex with limited access after hours. The first-arriving officers were not able to contact the caller or locate a complainant at any door, records show. A later welfare check led to the decision to force entry, at which point responders found the victim. The sequence is now part of an internal and external review examining whether entry could have been justified earlier under emergency powers, how information from building managers and neighbors was used, and whether a real-time trace or mapping tool might have narrowed the search to a specific floor more quickly. Investigators have not publicly released the full radio logs or dispatch audio.
Dokhotaru’s death drew a response from state leaders who promised to examine 000 protocols in high-rise settings, including when to escalate to supervisors, how long officers should remain on scene after a cut-off domestic violence call, and what thresholds trigger forced entry. Domestic violence advocates noted that high-rise complexes pose unique challenges for callers who cannot safely speak or provide details. The case also renewed attention to the common risk pattern in intimate partner homicides: separation or attempts to leave, prior strangulation or threats, and breaches of protection orders. In statements read to the court, family members described the 34-year-old as a devoted mother who had migrated to Australia as a teenager and built a life in Sydney’s west. Friends organized vigils outside the building in the weeks after her death.
The courtroom phase ended this month with Zayat’s sentence: a head term of 24 years, of which he must serve 18 before he can seek parole. The judge noted community concern about the police timeline but emphasized the sentencing was based on the defendant’s actions and the harm caused. Prosecutors said they would provide the family with the case file’s major exhibits, including CCTV clips and forensic summaries. Defense counsel said they were reviewing the judgment and reserved the client’s rights. Prison authorities took Zayat into custody immediately after the hearing. The child who was in the apartment the day after the killing has since been placed with family under court oversight, according to statements given at sentencing.
Beyond the courtroom, the focus shifts to procedure. Reviews are expected to analyze how triple-zero call data was handled, what information was available from building access systems, and whether a door-to-door sweep occurred on the correct floors. Police training materials for domestic violence calls in multi-unit dwellings are also under the microscope, alongside staffing levels and supervisor availability on Friday evenings. Some reforms discussed publicly include stronger rules for forced entry when a domestic violence caller is cut off after reporting an active attack, and standardized checklists that track steps taken before officers leave a scene without contact. Any recommendations would go to state authorities for implementation across metropolitan commands.
In Liverpool, residents in the block have described a lingering unease since the crime. The tower overlooks a rail corridor and retail precinct; on busy nights, voices echo through the corridors and balconies. The night of the killing, several tenants reported hearing a thud and then silence. In the days that followed, bouquets gathered near the lobby, and a photo of Dokhotaru was taped to a pillar. A neighbor on the 21st floor said the knowledge that a triple-zero call came from the building and that police left without entry has been “hard to live with.” Another resident, who did not give a name, said officers have visited multiple times since to speak with tenants for follow-up statements and to check camera timestamps from elevators and parking levels.
The case has resonated beyond Sydney because Dokhotaru was born in British Columbia before moving to Australia. Supporters in Canada and Australia held parallel memorials, and advocacy groups highlighted the cross-border nature of domestic violence awareness. In parliament and on the steps of local councils, speakers referenced the 89-second call as a stark example of the narrow window many victims have to seek help. Researchers say brief, interrupted calls are common when abusers are nearby. Technology fixes exist but are unevenly deployed: some can pin calls to a unit by reading building Wi-Fi signatures or access tags; others rely on rapid callbacks or text-based follow-ups. Whether any of those tools were available or used that night has not been detailed publicly.
Procedurally, any formal critique of the police response would move through an established pathway that can include an internal critical incident review, oversight by an external integrity body, and, if ordered, a coroner’s inquest. Those processes gather sworn statements from the responding officers, supervisors and dispatchers, and compare their actions to policy. The coroner can call expert witnesses, accept submissions from the family and police union lawyers, and issue prevention-focused recommendations. Timelines vary, but findings can take months. If recommendations are accepted, the police service updates policies and training and publishes a summary of actions taken. Authorities have not announced dates for public hearings tied to this case.
For now, the facts established in court are stark: a woman called for help, the call dropped, and she died from a brutal assault in her own home. A judge has punished the person found responsible for that violence. The unanswered questions sit with the timeline that followed the cut-off call and the first visit to the building—why officers left without entry, what they knew in the moment, and how similar calls will be handled in the future. Those are the issues the reviews are expected to confront, according to officials familiar with the process.
As of this week, Zayat is serving his sentence, and the family awaits word on the status of any formal review. Community groups say they will track the case through the new year and note any changes to front-line practice. The next milestone is publication of a procedural assessment or inquest timetable, which authorities said could come in early 2026.
Author note: Last updated December 23, 2025.