A quiet NSW town is grappling with the alleged murder of a woman who police claim was stabbed to death by her ex-girlfriend and the ex’s new boyfriend.

Sharn Dee Cook, 48, was found with multiple stab wounds inside a home on Joshua St in Goulburn about 7am on January 3.

NSW Police Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi allege Cook was murdered on December 30 and left to die in her home for five days as the accused killers went on a holiday to a nearby lake.

Cook’s ex-girlfriend, 40-year-old Anne-Marie Streek, and Streek’s new boyfriend, 44-year-old Stephen Henry Evans, were arrested at a nearby home about 8.30am last Thursday.

Both have since been charged with one count of domestic violence-related murder.

A friend of Cook’s, who asked to remain anonymous, told 7NEWS.com.au the small town was heartbroken.

She said Cook and Streek — also known as Anne-Marie Ringuet — had been together for almost a decade, with social media photos showing their earliest photos together dating back to October 2016.

After first getting to know each other online, the friend said Cook moved from Queensland to Goulburn so they could be together.

The friend claimed Cook had “saved” Streek from a previous “terrible” relationship.

Streek’s Facebook page shows photos of the pair together from 2017 to 2023, before she later changed her profile picture to an intimate image with a man.

Two of Cook’s Facebook accounts were both filled with photos of Streek.

One older account lists her as “engaged”, with an introduction stating: “I’m in a beautiful relationship with the most beautiful woman”.

On Cook’s TikTok, she shared photos of the couple alongside her dogs, describing them as her “little family”.

Cook’s friend said she treated her dogs like her children.

“She loved her dogs. She was really so good with them. She called them the boys like they were actually her children,” she said.

The dogs were also featured on Streek’s social media.

The friend described Cook as a kind and generous person who loved American singer P!nk.

“She was a generous person. She helped me out a few times,” she said.

“She was very quiet, she was guarded, but once she got to know you, she was a good person.

“She loved P!nk. She’s got P!nk T-shirts, P!nk posters, she always wanted to go to a concert, but unfortunately that’s not going to happen now.

Another friend of Cook’s, Kayla, also remembered her as someone who would always help others.

“Sharn was a great lady who would always help you if she could,” Kayla told 7NEWS.com.au.

“She was always there if you needed to talk — a very caring woman who cared for her dad until he passed, then cared for his dog as well. She loved her dogs a lot.

“Sharn will be dearly missed, her life tragically taken too soon.

“You’re an angel in heaven with your dad and Toby now. Gone but never forgotten.”

Doueihi said Cook and Streek’s relationship ended in May last year, after which Streek entered a relationship with Evans, who lived “next door”.

Police allege the pair later lived together.

Detectives believe the pair travelled to Lake Burrinjuck near Yass between December 31 and January 3 in a light blue Toyota Camry.

The car was towing a small white fishing boat on a trailer with registration CJ49XV.

Authorities are urging anyone who saw the vehicle during that period to contact police.