A 31-year-old Queensland mother has been found dead in sand dunes near Mackay Harbour, four days after she was last seen at a hair salon.
Payge Leembruggen was discovered shortly after 8am on Tuesday, September 15, near Mackay Harbour North Wall after a member of the public walking their dogs found her body. Emergency services were called to the area and detectives subsequently established a crime scene.
Leembruggen, who was a mother to a five-year-old son, was last seen at a hair salon on Celeber Drive in Andergrove at approximately 8:55am on Friday, September 11. The salon is about six kilometres from the location where her body was found.
Police are now working to establish what happened during the four-day period between her last confirmed sighting and the discovery of her body.
Detective Inspector Emma Novosel said investigators were trying to “fill a four-day gap” and were appealing to members of the public who may have seen Leembruggen during that period. An autopsy has been scheduled, with police saying the cause of death is currently unknown.
Leembruggen lived with her extended family at Mount Jukes, north of Mackay. Police said it was not unusual for her to travel from the area to Mackay and meet associates, which has made establishing her movements particularly important to the investigation.
At the time she was last seen, she was wearing a white top, bright red trousers, white shoes and a red bow or scrunchie in her hair, and was carrying a small backpack-style handbag. Police have released the details to help identify potential witnesses.
Police are treating the death as unexplained and suspicious until further information is available, but no cause of death has yet been established and no suspect has been publicly identified.
Anyone who saw Leembruggen or has dashcam footage or other information from September 11 to September 15 is being urged to contact Queensland Police.