73-year-old missing NSW farmer found dead in farm stock dip

The remains of 73-year-old Yvonne Whear, missing since February, were recovered last week by trail-bike riders who found her partially submerged in a stock dip on a Terragon farm about 20 km south of Murwillumbah, near the Queensland border. Forensic analysis confirmed her identity after weeks of investigation, during which police had located her gold Ford Escape in the Rous River and searched nearby waterways with drones and divers.

Whear was last captured on security footage heading north on Queensland Road toward her Dungay hobby farm, and her mobile phone was last pinged near Dungay on 20 February. She lived on the farm with ducks, chickens, dogs, rabbits and cats, and was engaged in a 23-year lease dispute, with a tribunal hearing scheduled for the week after her disappearance, though officials say the dispute is not linked to her vanishing. Her daughter Gillian Hallac expressed disbelief, noting her mother’s active life and responsibilities. Police continue to investigate and ask the public to contact Crime Stoppers with any information.