A 21-year-old exchange student whose body was found near a tram stop in Melbourne was on the phone to her sister when she was attacked, police say.

Key points: Aiia Maasarwe's uncle said he could not believe the killing happened in Australia

Aiia Maasarwe's uncle said he could not believe the killing happened in Australia Women who work on early shifts nearby said the death had hit close to home

Women who work on early shifts nearby said the death had hit close to home Police are urging anyone who travelled on the Route 86 tram on Tuesday night to contact them

Aiia Maasarwe, an Arab-Israeli student who was in Melbourne as part of her studies at Shanghai University, was attacked shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning.

Her body was found just after dawn by passers-by near a Plenty Road tram stop in the northern suburb of Bundoora.

Homicide investigators believe she was assaulted and killed in a random attack shortly after getting off the number 86 tram, just over a kilometre from her home.

She was returning from a show at The Comics Lounge in North Melbourne.

Aiia Maasarwe had come to Melbourne to study at La Trobe University. ( Instagram: Ruba Photography )

Police are investigating whether she was sexually assaulted before she was killed.

Detective Inspector Andrew Stamper said he would not detail Ms Maasarwe's injuries out of respect for her family.

"All I will say is, this was a horrific attack. This was an absolutely horrendous, horrific attack inflicted on a completely innocent young woman who was a visitor to our city," he said.

Police hope this shirt and cap, which were left at the scene, might lead to answers. ( Supplied: Victoria Police )

Detective Inspector Stamper said Ms Maasarwe was talking to her sister, who is overseas, about 12:10am when it is believed she was attacked on the pavement less than 50 metres from the tram stop.

"Sadly, her sister was talking to her on the phone," Detective Inspector Stamper said.

"The phone then appeared to fall to the ground and she couldn't contact her. We think that's the time.

"She heard the sound of the phone falling to the ground and heard some voices and that was it."

Investigators continued to gather evidence from the scene late Wednesday night. ( ABC News )

Detective Inspector Stamper said Ms Maasarwe's sister tried to call her back but was unable to reach her.

She then waited a few hours before trying to contact her again, he said.

He said police did not receive any contact about Ms Maasarwe until Wednesday morning.

"The contact that we got was at about 7:00am, which coincidently was pretty much exactly the same time as the deceased was located," he said.

Flowers and messages were laid at the site where the woman's body was found. ( ABC News: James Oaten )

We thought Australia was safe: uncle

Ms Maasarwe's uncle said his niece was a "very smart" and "funny" student who had moved to Australia to further her business studies.

"I was in shock, I couldn't believe it," said Rame Maasarwe, who is based in the US city of Miami.

"The day before my wife had said to me, 'We'll have to go to Australia, Australia's very safe, very nice'," he said.

"We cannot believe that something like this happened in Australia, we think it's very safe there."

Ms Maasarwe's father has already flown into Melbourne, where he has been speaking to police as they continue to search for his daughter's killer, he said.

Aiia Maasarwe planned to work alongside her father, who runs a business in China. ( Instagram: @aia0206 )

Victim planned to work with her father

"She was a very good person, she was a very happy person … she was adventurous, she was smart, she was silly," he said.

Mr Maasarwe said his niece moved to Melbourne about five months ago and had planned to stay for a year.

She was intending to use her business degree to work alongside her father, who runs a business in China.

Mr Maasarwe said when he last spoke to his niece several months ago she told him she was having a good time and liked life in Melbourne, where she was studying at La Trobe University.

Aiia Maasarwe told friends she was enjoying living in Melbourne. ( Instagram: @aia0206 )

La Trobe University vice-chancellor John Dewar said the univeristy community was "shocked and saddened by this appalling crime".

He extended the condolences to Ms Maasarwe's family and friends, and encouraged students and staff to use the university's safety and wellbeing services, including counselling.

Floral tributes have been laid where Ms Maasarwe's body was found by passers-by about 7:00am yesterday, behind a hedge near the Polaris shopping centre near Plenty Road.

Chocolate biscuits were among the tributes left at the scene. ( ABC News: James Hancock )

One card left near the place where Ms Maasarwe's body was found said, "I will miss you so much, and your positive energy".

"I love you [now] and always."

"Our heart breaks that you could not walk home alone safely," another card read.

"As community members in Bundoora we care!!"

Friends of Ms Maasarwe were among those to leave cards and tributes. ( ABC News: James Hancock )

'We want to stick together'

Three women who work at the nearby shops were the first people to visit the scene, where they laid roses and tulips on milk crates.

Kylie Fitzgerald, who works at a supermarket, said she felt it was important to lay the tributes as a mark of solidarity.

"It just saddens you … we just wanted to stand together as a community of women and just come down and pay our respects," she said.

Kylie Fitzgerald, Claire Cursia and Becky Blenner work near where the victim was found. ( ABC News: James Hancock )

"As women we stick together, and we feel it. It happens to a lot of people but when it hits so close to home, it really affects you.

"Especially for, I suppose, the ladies that have to start quite early in the morning and it's quite dark when you come into work, so it is frightening."

Becky Blenner, who works at a coffee shop, said her work shifts often start when it is still dark.

"I start work at 5:30 in the morning, me and another girl as well ... it's scary," she said.

"We feel sorry for her, we want to stick together, it's sad, it's horrible."

Bundoora residents were among those to share their grief and anger over Ms Maasarwe 's death. ( ABC News: James Hancock )

Police man tram stop

Police this afternoon released details of Ms Maasarwe's movements on the night she died.

CCTV footage shows her leaving The Comic's Lounge on Errol Street in North Melbourne wearing a pale t-shirt with black lettering on the front, a black skirt and white shoes.

She also appears to have a black backpack.

Police released this CCTV image showing what Ms Maasarwe was wearing when she was attacked. ( Supplied: Victoria Police )

Friends dropped her off at a tram stop on Bourke Street in the CBD around 10:50pm, from where she boarded a route 86 tram to Bundoora.

Police believe she got off the tram where Plenty Road intersects with Main Drive, less than 100 metres from where her body was found.

Detective Inspector Stamper said some of Ms Maasarwe's belongings had been found in a park opposite where her body was found in a line search yesterday afternoon.

Map Ms Maasarwe's body was found near the Polaris shopping centre in Bundoora, in Melbourne's north.

Detective Inspector Stamper said two items of clothing found nearby — a black baseball cap with 1986 written across the front, and a grey and black t-shirt — were key to solving the crime.

He said the brand of the t-shirt was Cotton On and it was "probably some years old".

"Someone has come home on Tuesday night, or the early hours of Wednesday morning, maybe with blood on them, missing items of clothing, somebody knows about this and we need help.

"We're … desperate for anyone in the community that may know anyone who was wearing or owns these items of clothing, to contact Crime Stoppers as a matter of urgency.

The woman's body was found less than 100 metres from a tram stop. ( ABC News )

"I think the answers are in the community.

"We need someone in the community who knows something about this, and we need them to be accountable for this … for actually delivering this person to us, or information about them, so we can get this person off the streets.

"That is our priority. That is what we're absolutely fixed on and we won't stop until we achieve that."

Police have increased their presence in the area following the death, with officers stationed at the nearby tram stop last night.