Michelle Reynolds' four young sons are already haunted by the horrific circumstances surrounding their mother's brutal murder.
Now, her family must find a way of telling them she would still be alive if police hadn't inexplicably withdrawn a string of charges that set her eventual killer free.
A Fairfax Media investigation has uncovered a bizarre sequence of events involving an outlaw motorcycle gang, major drug supply, prostitution, police informants and claims of a police conspiracy and cover up that resulted in Ms Reynolds' fatal bashing.
In 2011, while serving parole over the vicious beating of a woman, Wayne Edward Jones was caught red-handed in a Kings Cross drug exchange involving heroin and ice by NSW Police Senior Constable Glen Roberts.
The resulting charges put Jones back behind bars, where he should have remained for several years.
However, six months later, for reasons nobody can properly explain, all charges were dropped against Jones and his co-accused. Within a fortnight of his release, Jones was charged with further offences including possessing a knife in public, but again was allowed to walk free.
Equally as bizarre, the force then broke the law by withholding "critical" evidence from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and defence lawyers in a failed bid to prosecute and jail Constable Roberts for having fabricated evidence against Jones.
By the time a Sydney magistrate had dismissed the case against the officer, upheld his integrity, awarded him costs and determined something "quite strange" and "completely inexplicable" had taken place, it was too late for Ms Reynolds.
In December 2012, Jones checked into a Coffs Harbour motel where, high on ice, he hog-tied Ms Reynolds, beat her unconscious, poured a corrosive chemical over her stomach, then strangled her to death using a piece of cloth.
Ms Reynolds' former partner Glenn Winterbottom went into shock when he was advised this week of the bombshell news of the police's mishandling of the case.
"I'm devastated, no words can describe how I feel," he said from his Central Coast home.
"My four beautiful boys, how are they going to feel when they find out about this? They are going to want answers, because they want answers now."
He added: "This does not make sense. For a monster like that to be set free after all those charges. This is conspiracy stuff. The truth must be told."
Ms Reynolds' sister Kath told Fairfax Media: "My sister has lost her life and her boys have lost a mother because of these people ... and they cannot bring her back."
On Saturday, the force released a statement to Fairfax Media acknowledging "the seriousness of this issue and the family's concerns", adding: "At this stage we cannot comment any further."
Ms Reynolds and Mr Winterbottom shared 10 happy years together. While they later separated, their bond was cemented through four "wonderful" boys, who had meant "everything" to Ms Reynolds, Mr Winterbottom said.
"Michelle was such a loveable person. Despite going our separate ways, I still loved her and always will. She was one of those people with a real heart of gold."
He described a woman who was never happier than when she was hanging with her children, enjoying an afternoon at the beach or belting out songs at karaoke nights alongside family and friends.
Her sister Kath, meanwhile, described her as a "free spirited" person who placed "trust and faith in everyone".
However, in the weeks before she died, loved ones sensed something was not quite right. It soon emerged she had begun taking amphetamines.
On December 7 that year, her family reported her missing to police. Unbeknown to them, she had travelled north with Jones and checked into a Coffs Harbour motel room where, in a "drug-fuelled rage", he burned her, broke her nose and eventually strangled her.
He later ordered take away pizza while her body lay beside him. The next day, he wrapped her bloodstained body in bedsheets, bundled her into a taxi and instructed the driver to take him on a tour of potential real estate opportunities on the outskirts of town, where he got rid of the body in bushland.
In sentencing Jones, Justice Richard Button said he had dumped Ms Reynolds "in the same way that some citizens dump their unwanted household refuse".
Mr Winterbottom points out that Jones had only appeared in Ms Reynolds' life in the weeks leading up to her tragic death and that, had he still been in jail, "there is no way she would ever have met him".
He said that only now did he realise the significance of a throwaway remark a DPP official had made to him, as Jones was being sentenced to a minimum of 20 years behind bars: "He said to me that [Jones] 'should never have been out'. When I asked why he had said that, he refused to go any further."
How the bizarre sequence of events unfolded
Feb 2003: Wayne Jones bashes a woman so hard with a car "club lock", the left side of her face collapses. He already has convictions for armed robbery, possession of a pistol and numerous drug-related charges. At the end of the year, he receives a 7year sentence with a non-parole period of 4years.
Apr 2011: Kings Cross Senior Constable Glen Roberts witnesses a drug exchange involving Jones and a woman who he allegedly brought to Sydney to prostitute. Jones' parole is revoked and he is returned to jail. It emerges the woman has been forwarding classified intelligence about Jones' involvement with a major drug supply and the Nomads motorcycle gang.
Oct 20: All charges against Jones are withdrawn. He is freed.
Nov: Within weeks of being released, Jones is charged with possessing a knife in public, driving while disqualified, dealing with proceeds of crime and possessing identity information to commit an indictable offence. He again avoids jail and is placed on good behaviour bonds, the last of which expires on November 18, 2014.
October 10, 2012: Senior Constable Glen Roberts is charged with "fabricating false evidence with intent to mislead judicial tribunal".
December 11-17: Jones tortures, bashes and strangles Central Coast mother Michelle Reynolds in a Coffs Harbour motel room, then dumps her battered body in bushland.
June 6, 2013: A judge dismisses the case against Senior Constable Roberts and is scathing of police after they were found to have concealed "critical" evidence from the DPP that verified the detective's "truthfulness" and the case against Jones.
October 2014: Jones is sentenced to minimum 20 years jail for murder.
