‘Tayla was so loved’: Family confirm loss of Queensland mum

A Queensland mother who went missing far west of Brisbane has been remembered by her family as beautiful and incredibly loved, days after police found her vehicle and human remains nearby.

Tayla Spies, 29, disappeared on February 2, with police and her family launching a widescale search. The mother of three was last spotted on CCTV in the remote town of Surat.

Tayla Spies and sister Rebecca.

Her sister, Rebecca Spies, earlier told Brisbane Times Tayla had told everyone she was coming home to Roma that Sunday.

She had checked out of the Windsor Hotel in Dalby with her partner that morning, and they left in separate vehicles.

Police released CCTV vision of Spies wearing a pink shirt and carrying a red bag of belongings to her Toyota Hilux ute after she left the Dalby Hotel.

There was also footage of Spies later that day filling up her car in Condamine, before her vehicle was again spotted in Surat.

Spies ran Tayla Made Events, and planned dozens of special occasions for people.

On Friday, Detective Inspector Garry Watts announced police had found Spies’ ute, and human remains had been found within a kilometre of it.

At the time, police did not confirm they were of Spies but suspected they were.

On Monday morning, police confirmed Spies had died, saying a “postmortem examination will be conducted to determine the course of the investigations”.

On Sunday night, Spies’ sister wrote a heartfelt message to the community who had helped search and share information.

“It is with very heavy hearts that we announce the devastating loss of our beautiful Tayla,” the post read.

Footage of Spies showed her wearing a pink shirt and light-coloured shorts as she carried a red bag to her ute.Credit: Queensland Police

“Although she may no longer be here with us, she will always be in our hearts and I will carry her with me wherever I go.”

The family thanked the community for their support over the past two months.

“We truly will be forever grateful to our family and friends for surrounding us, supporting us, picking us up when we fell down and for never letting us walk one step of this alone.

“Tayla was and always will be so incredibly loved, more than she would ever know.”

Spies’ ute was found on a property in Noorindoo, about 40 kilometres north-east of where she was last seen. Inside, investigators found the pink shirt she had last been seen wearing on CCTV.

The owner of the land where the ute was found believed the vehicle had not been on the property two weeks ago, and might have been left there recently.

Watts said the property was heavily wooded in some areas. He said the ute would not have been visible from the road, as it was found about two kilometres into the property.

The ute was now undergoing forensic examination as part of police investigations.

Police continued to urge anyone with information regarding the ute, with Queensland registration 559 GJ7, or Spies’ movements, to come forward.

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