Family of British backpacker 'killed in murder-suicide' in Sydney left 'shocked' by her death

The family of a British backpacker, who was reportedly the victim of a suspected murder-suicide in Sydney, have said they are "deeply shocked" by her death.

Amelia Blake, 22, from Loughborough in Leicestershire, was found dead in a flat in the suburb of Newtown on Friday.

A man in his 30s, identified by media as Nepalese chef chef Brazil Gurung, was also found dead in the apartment.

"We are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of our much loved daughter and sister Amelia, who will be truly missed by all who knew her," Ms Blake's family said in a statement released by the Foreign Office.

"We would like to thank everyone for the love and support shown to our family."

A strikeforce was established to investigate the circumstances of their deaths with a murder-suicide a line of inquiry being investigated, a NSW police spokeswoman said on Sunday.

Ms Blake, who had been in Australia for eight months, had recently returned to Sydney after working on a farm in Victoria for three months.

She met Mr Gurung while working at the restaurant Fogo Brazilia Churrasco, where he was head chef.

His friends said he had been depressed, always looked "tired", and was working seven days a week to support himself and his former wife, Sydney's Daily Telegraph reported.

The owner of the restaurant, Ian Dresner, told ABC that Mr Gurung had been a "model employee" who "worked hard, worked long hours" and was polite.

Ms Blake's friends have spoken of their shock on social media.

“We couldn’t believe the news ... absolutely devastating and just can’t get our head around it,” Ellie Mackness wrote on Facebook on Thursday. “She was the most incredible girl.”

Rhys James Collington said he had been friends with Ms Blake since they were four years old.

“This has broken my heart into a million pieces ... it’s almost unimaginable that I’ll never see you again, my dear friend,” he wrote on Facebook.

Ms Blake returned to Sydney on Boxing Day and was planning on resuming her travels within days.

“I see my path but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it,” she wrote on Instagram.