Belconnen, Canberra: Woman killed in suspicious unit fire is identified - as loved ones pay tribute to 'bright spark'

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 03:49, 29 May 2026 | Updated: 03:49, 29 May 2026 The woman killed in a suspicious unit fire now being treated as a homicide has been remembered as a 'bright spark' by loved ones. The body of Kylee McHugh, 46, was found in her ground floor unit in Belconnen,  Canberra's north, following an early morning blaze on May 18. Emergency services responded to the fire at Wallcliffe Flats on Osborne Place shortly after 6.30am. After 10 days of extensive inquiries, homicide detectives on Thursday launched a renewed public appeal for information about Ms McHugh's final movements.  'The circumstances surrounding her death are suspicious and are being treated as a homicide,' ACT Policing Detective Acting Inspector Chris Watson told reporters. The cause of the deadly blaze is still being investigated. The unit sustained 'substantial damage'. Act Insp Watson would not elaborate on why Ms McHugh's death was being treated as suspicious or whether she had lived alone in the unit. ACT Police are treating Kylee McHugh's death as suspicious Kylee's body was found after a fire ripped through her ground floor Belconnen unit on May 18 Homicide investigations into the deadly fire at the Belconnen unit block (pictured) continue  'I can't comment on the specifics of who was in the residence, but we're interested in those people who know Kylee and have any information,'  Act Insp Watson said. 'We've spoken to a number of people in the course of our inquiries, but in terms of who and why I can't comment. 'I can't comment on the specifics of what happened inside the unit at the moment, but that is subject of our inquiries.' Detectives want to speak to anyone who had contact with Ms McHugh in the three days leading up to May 18. They also appealed for dash cam or CCTV near College Street, Haydon Drive, Belconnen Way and Eastern Valley Way in the 10 hours leading up to 7am on May 18. Ms McHugh's death has sparked an outpouring of tributes online. 'You were a bright spark to every room you walked into,' a friend wrote. 'You will be truly missed. Loved working with you, till we meet again my friend. My sympathy goes out to your beautiful family.' Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.