Mystery surrounds the death of a Queensland grandmother whose remains were found in dunes near a NSW beach, hundreds of kilometres away from where she was last spotted.
NSW Police have launched a homicide probe into the death of Wendy Hansen, who vanished six months ago.
The 63-year-old was captured on CCTV withdrawing cash from an ATM in Monto, in Queensland’s Burnett region west of Bundaberg, on February 29, police revealed on Thursday.
She failed to return home and could not be contacted, triggering an investigation by Queensland police.
They tracked down further footage of Ms Hansen from the same day, when she was seen driving south on the Bruce Highway near Wild Horse Mountain on the Sunshine Coast.
She was driving her silver 2007 two-door Mitsubishi Pajero with Queensland number plates at the time of the sighting, which was about 400km away from Monto.
Nearly four months later, then-unidentified remains were found in dunes at Jetty Beach in the NSW north-coast town of Coffs Harbour, triggering a nationwide search of missing-person records.
The remains were dressed in a Bras N Things-branded singlet top and blue denim jeans when they were found half-buried in the bushy area.
The body has since been identified as Ms Hansen and NSW homicide detectives have set up a strike force to investigate her suspicious death.
Police are particularly keen to track down her four-wheel drive, which has not been found.
Coffs Harbour is a 10-hour drive from Monto over a distance of more than 800km.
A search of the area surrounding where the body was found in June revealed several items of interest, including silver earrings, hair clips, a blue-and-white-striped button-up shirt, reading glasses, a book, a backpack and a wallet.
“The trail goes cold from the Sunshine Coast,” NSW Homicide Squad commander Danny Doherty on Thursday.
Why Ms Hansen was in Coffs Harbour and how she got there would form part of the investigation because she had no known links to the area.
“The highly unusual disappearance of a loving grandmother, who has been found 800km from home and no one knows why,” Detective Superintendent Doherty said, summing up the case.
“We’d like to solve that mystery and provide the answers to the family,” he said.
The area where her remains were discovered by volunteers is near a regional train station and police are investigating whether she used other modes of transport.
It is hoped CCTV footage of Ms Hansen and images of the “unusual-looking vehicle” she was driving might jog someone’s memory as investigators try to piece together her movements and a timeline for her disappearance, Detective Superintendent Doherty said.
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