Dementia sufferer, 79, ‘eaten by CROCODILE’ after walking stick and clothes found near beast-infested pool
Anne Cameron, 79, was last seen on Tuesday at a care home near the tourist town of Port Douglas, Queensland.
A MISSING elderly woman is feared to have been killed by a crocodile after cops found possible human remains and a walking stick near a croc-infested creek.
Anne Cameron, 79, who cops say may have dementia, was reported missing from a care home on Tuesday near the tourist town of Port Douglas, Australia.
Queensland Police and the State Emergency Service were searching for her when they came across clothing and a walking stick with her name on it.
Queensland Police Acting Inspector Ed Lukin said: "We've also located some biological matter which we believe to be human remains.
"We continue to search the area in the hopes that we find her alive."
He added that as the items were "located near (a) creek bank, we cannot rule out the possibility of a croc attack".
Lukin said police believed Cameron had wandered into the dense bushland, where she became lost, but it was not known if she had entered the water.
"She may suffer from dementia and her clothes may have been removed voluntarily."
It comes after a massive 8.5ft saltwater crocodile was caught at Dickson Inlet near Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas in August.
The reported the beach was closed in April when a four-metre croc was spotted swimming offshore, while there had been several attacks by the reptiles on dogs in the area this year.
Saltwater crocodile numbers have exploded since they were declared a protected species in the 1970s, with recent attacks reigniting debate about controlling them.
The "salties", which can grow up to 23ft long and weigh more than a tonne, are a common feature of the vast continent's tropical north and kill an average of two people a year.
Sean McGuinness, an emergency service area controller, told the broadcaster: "The search area is relatively flat, however the environment with the mangroves and the swamp area, it is quite hard to get through that area.
"The teams are persevering, they understand what we need to try and achieve and basically try and assist police to get some information about the situation."
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