Family of flood victim David Hornman post heartbreaking messages to Facebook before death

The family of a man who drowned after his car was submerged in floodwater issued a desperate plea to find him before the heartbreaking discovery.

The wife and mother of a man who tragically drowned trying to cross a flooded Queensland creek left a series of heart-wrenching messages on social media as a desperate search was under way to find him.

The search for missing Queensland man David Hornman ended in tragedy on Wednesday after his body was recovered from a ute that was found flipped upside down and submerged in a Gold Coast creek.

Mr Hornman, 38, was reported missing on Tuesday as rain drenched the Gold Coast.

“Please, if you see him or the vehicle, let me know,” his wife Angela Hornman posted on Facebook.

“Or at least tell him please to contact someone so I know he’s safe. Please tell him, no matter what, I love him.”

His mother Suzy Allington wrote a heartbreaking post on Facebook.

She later posted another message urging people to keep looking.

“He didn’t turn up to work and hasn’t been able to be reached since. His phone is turned off,” she said.

Mr Hornman’s mother Suzy also shared messages thanking people for their help and support.

“Praying to find him,” she said.

“RIP my beautiful son.”

Queensland Police on Wednesday confirmed officers had found a body inside a vehicle in Canungra Creek, near Lamington National Park Road.

“The body is believed to be that of a 38-year-old man who was reported missing from the Canungra area earlier this week,” they said.

His car was found submerged and overturned. NCA NewsWire / Scott Powick

Just before 11.30am on Wednesday, a member of the public alerted police to the upturned vehicle, a white 2013 Isuzu D-Max.

Mr Hornman was last seen leaving a home on Lamington National Park Road about 6am on Monday and was wearing business attire.

He made no contact with his family after that time.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner.

In a separate tragedy in northwest Sydney, a man died after his car was trapped in floodwaters on Cattai Ridge Road in Glenorie just before 6.30am on Wednesday.

He had been on the phone with emergency services, and his vehicle was found just after 1pm with his body inside.

Detective Inspector Chris Laird said the 25-year-old man was a Pakistani national who was on the first day of a new contracting job.

David Hornman’s body was inside. NCA NewsWire / Scott Powick

He was later identified as Ayaz Younus, who was studying software engineering and had two elder brothers and one younger sister.

Police said the man called emergency services just before 6.30am after he became trapped in floodwaters.

He managed to stay on the phone to triple-0 for nearly 40 minutes until the connection was lost.

On Wednesday, just hours after telling reporters it was “simply a miracle” there had been no deaths in the wildly destructive floods, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told parliament the state had recorded its first fatality.

“Unfortunately, we have received news of a fatality in the northwest of Sydney floodwaters,” she said.