A man has been charged with murder after Melbourne nurse Caitlin O'Brien was found dead at her apartment in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Gardenvale.

Ms O'Brien, 31, was found by police who were doing a welfare check just after 7.30pm on Tuesday at a small apartment complex on Kooyong Road.

Caitlin O'Brien was found dead inside her apartment in Gardenvale. Her partner has been charged with murder. Credit:Facebook

The exact circumstances of the incident and the cause of her death are yet to be established.

Homicide squad detectives have charged her partner Shea Sturt, 32, with one count of murder.