The body of a woman found partially submerged in a stock dip on a rural NSW property has been identified as 73-year-old grandmother Yvonne Whear.
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body → find → Whear
Ms Whear disappeared from Murwillumbah, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, on February 19, 2026.
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Whear → disappear → February
Her body was discovered in an advanced state of decomposition by two trail bike riders on Monday last week.
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body → discover → Monday
Police said she was found in a tank used to treat livestock for ticks and other parasites.
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she → say → ticks
Forensic and post-mortem examinations carried out over the past week confirmed her identity, which police publicly announced on Tuesday morning.
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police → carry → morning
NSW Police have confirmed a homicide investigation is underway.
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investigation → confirm → ?
Ms Whear's disappearance sparked an extensive search after she was last seen on CCTV in Murwillumbah on February 19.
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she → spark → February
At about 3.15pm that day, she was captured buying orange juice and adding credit to her mobile phone at a Shell service station.
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she → capture → station
The body of a woman found partially submerged in a stock dip on a rural property in NSW has been identified as 73-year-old grandmother Yvonne Whear
She was last seen on February 19 buying orange juice and topping up her phone credit at a Shell service station
Security cameras later captured Ms Whear driving north along Queensland Road towards her hobby farm on the outskirts of Dungay, near the Queensland border, at about 3.20pm.
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Whear → find → 3.20pm
Phone records indicated she watched YouTube videos that afternoon before accessing her voicemail shortly before 5pm.
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she → indicate → pm
The final signal from her phone was detected by a mobile tower near Dungay at about 10am the following day, February 20.
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signal → detect → am
It has not been detected since.
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It → detect → ?
Ms Whear maintained regular contact with her family, prompting her daughter, Gillian Hallac, to grow concerned when two days passed without hearing from her.
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days → maintain → her
Investigators initially considered whether Ms Whear had been involved in an accident on the region's winding roads.
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Whear → consider → roads
However, fears for her safety mounted as searches failed to find either her or her gold Ford Escape.
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searches → mount → her
Police launched an extensive search operation, deploying drones and helicopters while divers combed the Rous and Tweed rivers.
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divers → launch → rivers
A breakthrough came in mid-September when divers discovered the missing SUV in the Rous River at Dulguigan, not far from Ms Whear's home.
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divers → come → home
The vehicle was pulled from the water for forensic testing and a mechanical inspection.
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vehicle → pull → testing
Items believed to belong to Ms Whear were also recovered.
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Items → believe → Whear
NSW Police have confirmed a homicide investigation is underway
In September, seven months after her disappearance, NSW Police found her car submerged in a river
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car → confirm → river
Ms Whear was embroiled in a long-running dispute over the lease for the farm she had rented for 23 years, where she kept ducks, chickens, dogs, rabbits and cats.
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she → embroil → ducks
She was scheduled to attend a hearing at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal the following week.
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She → schedule → Tribunal
Her daughter, Gillian Hallac told the Sydney Morning Herald in August that despite the legal proceedings, her mother had no reason to abandon her life and responsibilities.
'She had a life with plans and responsibilities and people who loved her,' Ms Hallac said.
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Hallac → tell → her
'We don't believe she had any ordinary reasons to leave the property that evening.'
Tweed/Byron Police District Commander, Acting Superintendent Matt Zimmer, said investigators remained determined to find those responsible and provide answers for Ms Whear's family
'
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investigators → believe → family
Yvonne's family has endured many months of uncertainty, and they deserve answers.
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they → endure → answers
We are committed to pursuing every line of inquiry and urge anyone who can assist to contact police.
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who → commit → police
As inquiries continue, anyone with information is urged to contact Tweed Heads Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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anyone → continue → 000
The Aporia
