A missing woman alleged to have been murdered by her former partner ceased communicating with close family more than a year before her disappearance, a jury has heard.
Mark Sheridan Waden is being re-tried for the murder of former American beauty queen Priscilla Brooten, after the first trial was aborted on Tuesday due to juror misconduct.
Waden lived with Ms Brooten at the time of her disappearance in Brisbane's northern suburbs on July 5, 2018. Her body has never been found.
On Thursday, her daughter Caitlin Williams gave evidence in Brisbane Supreme Court by video-link from the US of how her mother had abruptly dropped out of contact after they had previously communicated by social media up to three times a week.
Ms Williams, 30, told the court she had not seen her mother in person since she was 11 years old, after Ms Brooten moved to Australia.
However, they maintained a cordial relationship, communicating regularly via Skype, Messenger and Instagram until early 2017, when Ms Brooten stopped engaging with her daughter.
Ms Williams became emotional when she told the court her mother did not respond when she told her she was on the verge of homelessness on March 4, 2017.
On May 17 she told her she was about to become a mother herself and on June 11 informed Ms Brooten her grandmother, Ms Brooten's own mother, was seriously ill - all to no reply.
Ms Williams said her mother had never intended to return to the US, saying it brought back bad memories for her.
"She did not want to come back to the States at all, she was really adamant about starting a new life in Australia," she said.
However, Ms Brooten's mother had mailed her a new passport in early 2018 - with an American address and phone number - which she sent to the address of a former partner and financial benefactor, Steve Thompson.
Earlier, the court heard from Senior Constable Neil Ollenburg, from Queensland Police's Missing Person's Unit, who searched for Ms Brooten after she was reported missing by Mr Thompson on December 10, 2018.
Sen Const Ollenburg said he had run checks with Centrelink, Border Force, financial institutions, airlines and hospitals, using up to seven different aliases used by Ms Brooten.
He said the checks showed no proof of life after the date she was last seen.
The court also was told Waden had arranged for an earth-moving business to have a trench dug measuring four metres long, 40 centimetres wide and 90cm deep the day after Ms Brooten's disappearance.
On May 5 and May 7 2019, he allegedly dumped more than 800 kilograms of soil at the Nudgee tip after hiring an excavator.
The trial, before Justice Peter Callaghan, is due to hear from Mr Thompson later on Thursday.
