Police have launched a murder investigation into the disappearance of a young Irish woman in Melbourne.
Jill Meagher, who is originally from Drogheda, was last seen leaving friends at a bar in the city at about 1.30am on Saturday.
Australian homicide detectives took over the probe after the 29-year-old's handbag was found in a nearby street on Monday.
Detective Inspector John Potter said: "We take on these cases of a suspicious nature where a person goes missing when there's a possibility that they may have been met with foul play.
"We don't know that at this point and we always hope that we can find her safe and well, but at this stage she hasn't responded to any of the media reports over the weekend, she hasn't contacted her husband, and he's (not) been able to contact her (on) her mobile phone."
Her husband Thomas Meagher said he tried calling his wife, who works for ABC radio, repeatedly between 2am and 6am on the morning she disappeared, and began searching the streets for her at 4am.
"I'm just trying to push on," he said.
"I just hope somebody saw something or she will just walk through the door."
ABC described Mrs Meagher as "a highly valued and much-loved member of the local radio team".
"Our thoughts are with Jill's family and friends during this very difficult time," the broadcaster said in a statement.
Colleague Tom Wright told the Herald Sun newspaper he had offered to walk Meagher home, but she insisted on going alone.
"I said, 'Can I walk you home?' because it's late at night, and she said, 'No, no I live around here, I know it really well, don't worry,'" he said.
