Donna Howe found dead in Glass House Mountains as two men charged with murder

Two men have been charged with murder two days after four-wheel drivers exploring a remote bush track stumbled upon a skeleton. 

Queensland Police on Thursday confirmed two people from Caboolture – a 41-year-old man and a 31-year-old man – had been arrested after the body of Donna Howe, 57, was found in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. 

Police allege the pair murdered Ms Howe before she was moved to the track in the Glass House Mountains National Park.

Ms Howe was last seen by her family in Caboolture in late April and had been missing for more than a month.

Despite an extensive search by police at the time, she could not be located.

Police allege the pair, who will face court on Thursday charged with murder and misconduct of a corpse, knew Ms Howe before she died.

Two four wheel-drivers found the remains while driving on the isolated bush track on Tuesday.

A crime scene was declared and the remains were sent to a lab in Brisbane, who confirmed they belonged to Ms Howe.  

Queensland Police Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield said a lighter had been found near the body.

‘It looks like there’s at least some charred areas,’ he said.

‘But we’re just trying to ascertain whether it’s just decomposition … there’s no extended fire area, so we’re not ruling that out.’

An incident centre was established at Maroochydore Police Station with Sunshine Coast Police to collaborate with other specialist officers. 

Glass House Mountains is a rural hinterland town in the Sunshine Coast with a population of 5,065 people as recorded in the 2016 Census. 

The mountains are popular with tourists and locals looking to go on bush walks, climbs, and four-wheel drives on the picturesque tracks. 

Police declared a crime scene at the remote track with initial examinations of the remains discovered on Tuesday indicating they are human (stock image)