Police and wildlife officers are setting traps for a large crocodile that’s believed to have killed an elderly, dementia-suffering woman in north Queensland.
Anne Cameron was last seen near the OzCare aged care facility at Craiglie, south of Port Douglas, on Tuesday afternoon.
The 79-year-old grandmother is believed to have become disorientated on a walk and wandered into dense bush.
Police on Friday confirmed remains found at Craiglie Creek late on Thursday were human and a walking stick bearing Ms Cameron’s name and other items were also found a short distance away.
Police on Friday confirmed remains found at Craiglie Creek late on Thursday were human and a walking stick bearing Ms Cameron’s name and other items were also found a short distance away
Three enormous saltwater crocodiles are said to live in Mowbray River (pictured)
Acting Inspector Ed Lukin said police were awaiting forensic test results but it was ‘highly likely’ the remains belonged to Ms Cameron because no one else had been reported missing from the area.
‘We strongly suspect now that there has been involvement of a crocodile attack given the location of those items and the human remains located close to a watercourse,’ he said.
Wildlife officers have set traps and spent Friday conducting aerial searches of nearby waterways to find the crocodile.
Department of Environment and Heritage Protection wildlife director Michael Joyce said the mangrove-lined Craiglie Creek was particularly narrow and a helicopter was needed to get a better look.
Ms Cameron was last seen before she left her OzCare aged care facility (pictured) in Port Douglas, north Queensland, to take a walk on Tuesday afternoon
Mr Joyce said the reptiles often travelled from one body of water to the next and used the ocean as a ‘crocodile highway’, which made identification difficult.
‘We are looking for a relatively large animal, greater than three metres, showing a level of boldness and sunning itself for large periods of time,’ he said.
Ms Cameron’s granddaughter Isabella Eggins took to Facebook to thank people who had helped in the search.
‘It is my deep regret to inform you that following an extensive search and the discovery of certain items as a result of that search, we have the firm belief that my nan Anne Cameron has passed away in tragic circumstances,’ she wrote.
Police confirmed they found a pile of clothing next to a small creek connected to Mowbray River (pictured), believed to be less than two kilometres from the aged care facility
‘She will be missed and will always be loved by her family.’
Ozcare Port Douglas facility manager Daniel Robinson said the company was ‘deeply saddened’ by Ms Cameron’s disappearance and offered condolences to her family.
‘Ms Cameron was not a resident of our special care secure unit,’ he said in a statement on Friday.
‘Our secure area is home to residents who are placed there under the advice of a medical officer.’
The incident has seen the Katter’s Australian Party renew their calls for both sides of parliament to implement more stringent management of crocodiles through their Safer Waterways Bill, which includes culling.
State Emergency Service area controller Sean McGuinness said the search (pictured) was challenging
Port Douglas is in Queensland’s tropical north, an hour’s drive from tourist destination Cairns
Rangers have captured a monster saltwater crocodile from the infested creek (pictured, different croc in same river)
Rangers captured a monster three-metre crocodile this week as they continued to hunt down the predator believed to have eaten an elderly woman with dementia.
A spokesman for the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection said rangers were yet to capture the ‘target’ crocodile.
It’s understood there are three main crocodiles known to frequent Mowbray Creek, although wildlife tour managers say much larger crocs could easily have traveled there from neighbouring inlets.
Crocodiles in the region are territorial and known to be extremely aggressive.
Crocodiles in the region are territorial and known to be extremely aggressive (Mowbray River crocodile pictured)