The ex-boyfriend of a murdered Sydney dentist died in a "deliberate" and fiery head-on collision a day before her body was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase in her own car.
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Dr Harshwardhan Narde, a Tamworth dentist, drove his BMW into a semi-trailer on the New England Highway near Tamworth about 10pm on Monday night, according to police.
He died at the scene but his name has not been officially released because detectives are yet to identify his next of kin.
Investigators found Dr Reddy's body in her grey VW Golf in a Kingsford lane about 9.30pm on Tuesday. She had been stabbed "numerous times".
The gruesome discovery came just hours after police issued a public appeal to find the 32-year-old from Penrith.
Dr Reddy was reported missing on Sunday after she failed to return home following a dental convention at St Leonards over the weekend.
She was captured on CCTV inside a city McDonald's about 2.15am on Sunday and appeared to leave alone.
She last spoke with her family about 11 that morning - saying she planned to head home after having a late breakfast.
NSW Police detectives now believe Dr Reddy stayed at a hotel on Market Street on Sunday "with a man known to her".
The pair weren't in a relationship at the time but had been previously, Detective Superintendent Gavin Dengate said on Wednesday.
Police spoke with Dr Narde about Dr Reddy's disappearance before he died on the New England Highway at Willow Tree on Monday night.
"At this stage we know they met up in Sydney, now we're looking at all the movements between those two to establish exactly what happened," Det Supt Dengate told reporters.
Investigators believe they know who killed Dr Reddy but are pleading for more information about her whereabouts before her death, including when and where she reconnected with her ex-boyfriend.
"It's very important for us because, right now, we are working for Preethi and we are working for Preethi's family as well," he said.
It's understood Dr Reddy worked at Glenbrook Dental Surgery in the lower Blue Mountains.
Her colleagues posted a tribute on Facebook on Wednesday, saying staff at the clinic were "in mourning" after hearing the news of her death.
A Facebook page was set up soon after Dr Reddy went missing, calling for people to "help find Preethi Reddy".
"It is highly out of character for Preethi to not contact family and loved ones," one post said.
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Australian Associated Press
