A badly decomposed body believed to be that of a woman has been found partially submerged in a disused stock dip at a remote property in Terragon, near Murwillumbah in northern NSW, with police treating the death as suspicious.
Police were called to the property at about 11.20am on Monday after reports of a dead body. The remains, which are yet to be identified, were discovered by two trail bike riders in an area deemed crown land.
Detective Inspector Matthew Zimmer said the body was badly decomposed. "The body is believed to be of a female, but due to the state of decomposition of that body I'm unable to provide further details," he told reporters in Tweed Heads on Tuesday.
"Due to the location of the body, the remoteness of the area, the absence of a vehicle or any other mode of transport, we are treating this death as suspicious."
Zimmer said it was difficult to determine how long the remains had been at the site. A crime scene was set up overnight, with specialist forensic examiners combing the area.
Police were checking missing persons registers in both NSW and Queensland. A postmortem examination is expected to be carried out in coming days to help identify the body and establish the cause of death.
Terragon is located in Tweed Shire, roughly 40km from the NSW-Queensland border.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The death is being treated as suspicious, meaning police are now investigating a suspicious death in a quiet rural border region
- The body remains unidentified and badly decomposed, so police cannot yet say who the woman was or how long her remains had been at the site
- The remote location and absence of any vehicle at the scene raise questions about how the woman came to be there
Background
The body was found in a disused stock dip, a large trough commonly used to bathe livestock in anti-parasite solutions, on crown land at Terragon, about 40km from the NSW-Queensland border. The property is in Tweed Shire, near Murwillumbah in northern NSW. Police have not indicated how long the remains may have been at the site, beyond noting that decomposition was advanced, and are working through missing persons records in both NSW and Queensland as they try to establish the woman's identity.
Key Perspectives
NSW Police: Detective Inspector Matthew Zimmer said the death was being treated as suspicious because of the remoteness of the location and the absence of any vehicle or other mode of transport at the scene.
Forensic investigators: Specialist examiners have been combing the area since a crime scene was set up overnight, and a postmortem examination in coming days is expected to help identify the body and determine the cause of death.
Those awaiting answers: With the body yet to be identified and no firm timeframe for how long it had been at the site, basic questions remain about who the woman was, how she died and how she came to be at such an isolated location.
What to Watch
- The results of the postmortem examination, expected in coming days, which should help identify the body and establish the cause of death
- Whether checks of missing persons registers in NSW and Queensland produce a match
- Any further police updates on how the woman came to be at the remote property