The body of a missing woman is believed to have been dumped in a wheelie bin before it was collected by a rubbish truck.
Lesley Trotter, 78, was reported missing from her home in Toowong, Queensland on March 27, sparking a massive manhunt with police deployed to scour nearby land and water.
Today, Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said there was evidence that a body had been placed in a wheelie bin on a road close to her home the day after she vanished.
He refused to comment on Trotter's injuries.
He said her remains haven't been found, but that cops are working to locate the body.
It's thought that the bin was emptied later the same day.
“It was evident at that time that the person we believe is Ms Trotter was deceased,” he said on Tuesday.
“Due to the positioning of the body, I can’t rule out foul play at this stage.”
7News asked how police knew how her body was positioned considering it hadn't been found. He declined to elaborate.
Relatives spoke with her the night before she went missing, but became concerned after visiting her home the following day and findiing she wasn't there.
Further fears were raised after her wallet and mobile phone were left there.
The wheelie bin was picked up on a normal route, and taken to Nudgee Waste Transfer Station. At the yard, the wheelie bin's contents were dumped into a pit.
“An additional 22 trucks also visited the site on that Tuesday,” he said.
“The loads from each of those trucks was compressed and then was taken away from the facility in six B-double semi-trailers.”
Dump sites have been qurantined over the weekend as police conducted interviews.
Massingham said the police have no other suspects at presendt.
Cops say they have a "difficult operation" ahead as they plan for an extensive search of the dump sites.
Once they find her body, Massingham says a thorough forensic examination will be conducted to "find any piece of evidence" that could point to her cause of death.
Investigators have been trying to restructure the events of Tuesday night, Massingham said.
“This is obviously a disturbing development,” Massingham added.
“This is traumatic to them. I think this is confronting for them, the nature ... would be concerning for any family, particularly a lady of that age ... looking forward to the next chapter of her life.”
Ms Trotter's next of kin have been notified.
