A grandmother found dead in a remote cattle dip had begged strangers for help in the months before she vanished, claiming she was being forced from her home and that her beloved pets had been stolen.
Yvonne Whear, 73, disappeared from her home at Dungay, near Murwillumbah in northern NSW, in February.
Her decomposing remains were found eight months later in a disused cattle dip trough on an isolated farm about 30km away.
Detectives are treating her death as murder and believe someone in the community knows how she ended up there.
Now the Daily Mail can reveal Ms Whear had been locked in a bitter fight to stay at the rural property she called home, with a tribunal hearing set for the week after she vanished.
In a string of social media posts, the grandmother repeatedly pleaded for help.
'I have been illegally evicted by a nasty man, please help find suitable accommodation for me and my pets,' she wrote on January 1, 2025.
She made about 11 posts about her troubles in an online group dedicated to spirituality and guidance, revealing the stress of the looming eviction had left her unwell.
Yvonne Whear, 73, vanished from her home near Murwillumbah in February. Her remains were found eight months later in a disused cattle dip
Ms Whear made about 11 posts about her troubles in an online group dedicated to spirituality and guidance
Ms Whear had lived at the property for several years under an arrangement with its owner, her close friend Bill Campbell.
But trouble began in September 2024, when she raised fears for Mr Campbell's welfare.
'I wish to some [sic] assistance with what to do about Bill and my thoughts and concerns around his welfare,' she wrote.
'He was supposed to be home but he is not in his home and his nephew refuses to allow me to see him where ever he is.
'I just do not know how to deal with this.'
Mr Campbell died later that year and Ms Whear was served with a termination notice.
She insisted she had a long-term agreement with the Campbell family allowing her to stay.
The dispute dragged on for more than a year and was due before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal the week after she disappeared.
The new owner told the Daily Mail he had followed the proper legal channels.
Ms Whear's gold Ford Escape wagon was pulled from the Rous River on Dulguigan Road
Ms Whear, who had been fighting eviction, was last seen at a petrol station not far from her home
' Whatever she has done, she has done,' he said. 'My lawyers have advised me not to get involved in any of that with all of this is going on.'
He said he had remained civil towards Ms Whear throughout and had no idea what had happened to her.
The new owner has not been accused of any wrongdoing or involvement in Ms Whear's disappearance or death, and the Daily Mail is not suggesting otherwise.
Around the time her tenancy troubles began, Ms Whear also turned to a local Facebook group, claiming her pets had been stolen and begging for help to find them.
Ms Whear was last seen at a petrol station not far from her home.
In September, her gold Ford Escape wagon was found submerged in the Rous River at Dulguigan.
It was only a short drive from where a wanted fugitive had been fatally injured months earlier.
Vaughn Scott Cummings, 34, was the subject of a months-long police manhunt when he was spotted at a property in Upper Main Arm, south-east of Murwillumbah, in February.
Vaughn Scott Cummings was the subject of a months-long police manhunt when he was spotted at a property south-east of Murwillumbah
The investigation into Ms Whear's death remains ongoing, with her grieving family desperate for answers
The sighting came within days of Ms Whear vanishing about an hour away.
Police have not linked Cummings to Ms Whear's death but by April, he was wanted on 12 warrants, and police had warned the public not to approach him.
On April 8, Cummings was allegedly confronted by two residents at Bray Park, near Murwillumbah.
Police allege the men tried to carry out a citizen's arrest, during which Cummings suffered critical injuries.
He died in Gold Coast University Hospital two days later.
Michael Harding and Luke Manning have been charged with manslaughter over his death. A third person, Sandi Williams, has been charged with hindering the discovery of evidence.
Ms Whear's family are desperate for answers.
'Our hearts and our spirits are broken,' one of her children wrote on a Facebook group dedicated to her case.
'They have found our mum Yvonne, and for that, we are deeply grateful. But there is no such thing as closure until we find who did this.'
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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