Missing woman’s habit of checking if tenants recycled might have led to death

Police investigating the death of a Brisbane retiree known to check through the bins at her apartment complex have suggested her habits might have created “angst” among her neighbours.

Lesley Trotter, 78, went missing from her Toowong home on March 28. Credit: QPS

More than 40 detectives are working to solve how Lesley Trotter, 78, had died, with police not ruling out her death as suspicious.

On Friday, a senior detective confirmed the demise of the retired teacher, missing since last week, even though officers had not found her body.

Police were investigating whether her death could be linked to her regularly checking if residents around her Toowong apartment had placed their recyclables in the correct bin.

Two crime scenes have been set up, one at her Maryvale Street unit and another nearby.

Trotter, a keen hiker, went missing on March 28, prompting emergency services to scour bushwalking trails near Mt Coot-tha and Toowong.

When family visited her unit last Tuesday, she was missing but her phone and wallet had been left behind.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said police were yet to find Trotter’s body.

When asked whether it was likely she met with foul play, Detective Superintendent Andrew Massingham said that was one aspect police were considering.

“Unfortunately, investigations yesterday afternoon and late in the evening have led us to the conclusion that Ms Trotter is, in fact, deceased,” Massingham said.

“The nature of that information specifically, I can’t go into great detail.”

Emergency services had searched for days for her.

It would take investigators some days to work through the evidence they had, Massingham said.

“I will be providing further information specifically relevant to how we know she’s deceased either tomorrow or on Sunday,” he said.

“At this stage we do not have a location of Ms Trotter’s body, but we do have several lines of inquiry that may lead us to that location.”

Massingham said Trotter was known in the street to check recycling bins to ensure waste was being placed into the correct bins.

Trotter was an active hiker and bushwalker.

“Whether that’s created some angst amongst the tenants, we’re working through that at the moment,” he said.

“We simply don’t know. That’s one line of inquiry we’re following.

“We have not ruled out that this activity in some way is linked to her death.”

Massingham said Trotter had been looking forward to moving into a retirement village.

“This was a lady looking forward to the next chapter of her life,” he said.

“While she had some anxiety of moving into a retirement village, she was looking forward to that and something tragic has occurred ... that’s taken that opportunity away from her.”

Massingham said detectives believed she died between midnight on Monday, March 27, and midday the following day.

“We believe her death occurred close to her unit block.

“I’d appeal to anyone in either of the unit blocks on Maryvale Street that saw any suspicious activity on the morning of Tuesday, March 28, to come forward.”

Detectives were focusing their investigation on the period between 5am and 7am on the Tuesday morning.

He said Trotter’s brother had been notified of her death and was traumatised.

Police were continuing to appeal for anyone with information to come forward.