Updated 1.30pm

A Colombian woman was murdered in Sliema on Saturday morning. 

Police learnt of the murder when a 43-year-old Colombian man walked into the Sliema police station at 6.15am and told officers on duty that he had killed someone. 

His clothes appeared to be stained with blood. 

The victim, 43-year-old Sandra Ramirez, was found stabbed in the bed of a rental apartment on Triq Sir George Borg. 

Officers believe the victim and suspect had argued. Initial indications are that the woman was the suspect's ex-girlfriend.

Social media posts suggest the two were close and had travelled abroad together as recently as November. Times of Malta is not publishing photos of the victim or suspect until relatives in Colombia have been informed of the crime. 

There is no record of the two having ever filed any criminal complaints or domestic violence reports against one another, police said. 

The suspect is being held under arrest and is being interrogated.

Victim's work colleagues grieve 

Ramirez worked at a retail outlet at The Point shopping mall in Sliema. The store remained shut on Saturday, as employees grieved. 

"Today we tragically lost a member of our family, not just a member of our staff, a note posted to the store shutter along with a black ribbon read. "Sandra Ramirez was a kind, gentle and hard-working woman who was loved by us all at Mavenry." 

Ramirez's workplace remained shut as employees grieved.

A police spokesperson told journalists that police officers were still searching for the murder weapon. Sources said officers are also obtaining CCTV footage from various properties in the area, to trace the victim and suspect's movements in the hours preceding the murder.

The murder victim obtained a residence permit in October 2022 while the suspected killer came to Malta in January 2023, immigration records indicate.

Officers are now speaking to Colombian consular officials to obtain more information about the victim and suspect, as well as to establish contact with their respective families. 

Magistrate Lara Lanfranco will lead an inquiry into the case.

It is the second murder of 2024, following the New Year's Day shooting of Eric Borg in Rabat.