Search scaled back due to poor weather for Cairns woman missing at sea

AMSA has suspended the search due to poor weather for a respected speech therapist missing in Torres Strait waters since Thursday. Police vessels remain in the area and serious concerns are held for the woman’s welfare.

Search and rescue operations led by AMSA for a missing person in Torres Strait Island waters will continue on Friday morning and will involve multiple aircraft. Picture: Supplied

Police vessels have entered their third day of searching for well-respected speech therapist Wendy Richardson missing in Torres Strait waters since Thursday, June 8.

AMSA suspended its operations yesterday due to poor weather and serious concerns remain for the 68-year-old’s welfare.

At 2pm on Thursday AMSA received an emergency beacon alert from a location 6km southeast of Mabuiag Island where Ms Richardson’s boat capsized.

The boat was believed to have been travelling from Badu to Mabuiag.

Police and multiple agencies have conducted a wide-ranging surface and aerial search for the missing woman without result.

Several marine assets, including the Queensland Police Service’s QPV William Conroy and QPV GJ Olive from across the Torres Strait were tasked, with support from locally sourced helicopters and numerous volunteer vessels from Mabuiag and Badu islands.

Ms Richardson was one of three people on board the vessel when it overturned three nautical miles off the southeastern end of the island.

Wendy Richardson is missing in Torres Strait waters after her boat capsized on Thursday afternoon. Picture: Supplied

Two people were rescued shortly afterwards, and a 34-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman taken to Thursday Island Hospital for treatment have since been released.

Late this week a heartbroken sister of Ms Richardson said she was holding out hope that her sibling is alive.

Julie Ryan said Ms Richardson was last seen swimming for a large reef but was separated from her group.

“The family are very worried. We haven’t had an update yet this morning,” Ms Ryan said.

“The best case scenario is she’s alive but alone and has spent a lot of time in the water.

“Wendy works as a speech pathologist for disadvantaged children. She goes up there so often because a lot of the kids need her help. She has to travel between the islands but she’s always said the travel is very dangerous.”

Ms Ryan said she was told Ms Richardson’s vessel was small.

“She always told me she had to travel between the islands in ‘flimsy dinghys’. She always said she was terrified of the travel,” she said.

Wendy Richardson (left) with her sisters Julie Ryan and Lindy Shepherd. Picture: Supplied

“I was told the crew managed to swim to a small reef where they set off an EPIRB. But they were worried about the dangers of bitey marine animals, so they decided to try and swim to a larger reef. She became separated from the group on the swim and the two others who made it lost sight of her.

“I understand the water was very choppy.”

Ms Ryan said she understood Ms Richardson was not wearing a lifejacket but the crew had used flares as well as an EPIRB to attract the attention of rescuers.

She said Ms Richardson was a valuable and trusted member of the Torres Strait Island and Cairns communities.

Authorities are searching for a missing person southeast of Mabuiag Island. Picture: Google Maps

“She’s very talented at what she does. She’s in her 60s but hasn’t retired for the sake of the children up there. She’s very well known in Cairns,” she said.

At 1pm on Friday an AMSA spokeswoman said the search, which involved multiple aircraft, had not located the missing person.

“The six-metre ‘dory’ style boat was believed to have been travelling from Badu to Mabuiag when it capsized,” the spokeswoman said.

“(We) tasked the Horn Island-based rescue 700 helicopter, along with a vessel from Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) and the Queensland Water Police vessel from Mabuiag Island.

“The rescue helicopter located two people in the water and winched them to safety, with a third person, believed to be a 68-year-old woman, still missing.

“The search was suspended last night due to lack of light and poor weather.”

A police spokesperson said the two rescued people were located by a helicopter at 3.30pm on Thursday afternoon.

“Boaties and other recreational water users are asked to immediately report any sightings to police,” the spokesperson said.

The seas around the Torres Strait Islands are notoriously dangerous for people travelling in small vessels.

In December 2022 a 31-year-old Moa Island man who spent 24 hours adrift on a piece of wood was recovered by rescuers after his dinghy capsized.

Other rescue efforts have been unsuccessful.

Authorities recently called off a search for missing outrigger paddler Denne Bourke following the discovery of his empty canoe near Thursday Island on May 3.

Originally published as Search scaled back due to poor weather for Cairns woman missing at sea