‘My heart aches for you’: Tributes after Courtney Anderson’s tragic Bajool death

Remembered as a ‘beautiful soul’, the 28-year-old Gladstone woman may have jumped from a moving Hilux on the Bruce Hwy near Rockhampton before her shocking death. LATEST.

The autopsy on a woman who died on the side of the Bruce Hwy on Easter Monday is being conducted in Brisbane today, police have confirmed.

Courtney Paige Anderson, 28, from Gladstone suffered “catastrophic injuries” in the incident at Bajool, south of Rockhampton.

Ms Anderson, from New Auckland, was travelling with her male partner to Rockhampton when the incident happened about 5.15pm.

Witnesses stopped and rendered first aid, with a Rockhampton woman the first to call 000.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Kevin Mawdsley today renewed calls for witnesses who had seen the gold Toyota Hilux in which they were travelling to come forward.

“The appeal for any witnesses is still active... that anyone who was driving or sighted that vehicle on Easter Monday to contact police,” he said.

He said those people who had already come forward had information “post-event” but police were keenly interested in anything prior to the incident.

Senior Sergeant Mawdsley would not confirm speculation that Ms Anderson may have jumped from the moving Hilux.

“The investigation is ongoing,” he said.

“We’ll speak to anybody who contacts police and says that they may have sighted the vehicle.

“We’ll continue to talk with the family; we met with them at length last week to continue to keep them informed and we intend on speaking with Courtney’s partner sometime this week.”

Meanwhile, heartfelt messages are flowing for the family of Ms Anderson after her shock death on the side of the Bruce Hwy.

It comes as police continue to investigate whether the 28-year-old Gladstone woman may have jumped from the moving Hilux she was travelling in with her partner at Bajool, south of Rockhampton on Easter Monday.

Police had previously revealed Ms Anderson’s name but her grieving dad Don has since posted an image of his daughter on social media which shows her beaming smile and long blonde hair.

After changing his Facebook cover photo in honour of his daughter, Mr Anderson’s page was flooded with tributes for Courtney who was described as a “beautiful girl” with a “beautiful soul”.

Courtney Paige Anderson, 28, is being mourned after she died on the Bruce Hwy.

Among the dozens of posts was one from Sue Niven who wrote “oh Don I’m so sorry, my heart aches for you and your family. Sending love”.

Cathy Briant wrote “thinking of you mate so sorry this happened to your girl” while Bec Richardson commented “she was absolutely stunning wasn’t she … a real beauty”.

Steve Smith wrote “sad to hear mate, devastating in fact. Hope you and the family are holding up OK, OK as you can in this hard time.

Much love mate”.

Laura Clunie also commented on the post: “Such a beautiful young lady. Thinking of you all and sending our love”.

Many had also shared posts on the police appeal for more information and people who may have seen the golden 4WD ute in the area to come forward.

Earlier, police confirmed Ms Anderson’s 35-year-old boyfriend had been released from hospital and detectives were preparing to speak with her devastated family.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Kevin Mawdsley said a number of people had reached out since police put out a call for witnesses on Tuesday “but it’s similar to witnesses we’d already spoken to”.

“We still don’t have anyone who’s contacted us who’s sighted the vehicle driving Monday afternoon,” Senior Sergeant Mawdsley said.

“All our sightings are post incident (when) the car is stationary on the side of the road.”

Rockhampton detectives would speak with her family residing in the Gladstone region, Senior Sergeant Mawdsley said, as police still waited for forensic results in relation to the examination of the roadway.

“Her family is devastated,” Senior Sergeant Mawdsley said, describing the tragedy as “unexpected and sudden”.

Police have released this image of Courtney Paige Anderson’s Hilux in the hope someone who saw it between Gladstone and Rockhampton on Easter Monday will come forward.

“When a death occurs in that category it obviously is devastating for the family.

“It’s going to be a difficult day for the family … there is going to be a lot of questions we probably can’t answer in full.”

He said Ms Anderson’s partner, who was treated for shock in hospital, was co-operating with police.

He had already given an interview to officers while he was in hospital.

“His version of events is something we’re investigating,” Senior Sergeant Mawdsley said, adding officers would be following up with the driver again, but that might not be until next week.

“His version of events is something we’re investigating,” Det Senior Sergeant Mawdsley said in relation to Courtney Anderson’s tragic Bajool death.

“He’s been discharged … treatment is ongoing with his family.”

Senior Sergeant Mawdsley confirmed there had been some reported incidents between Ms Anderson and her partner to police “that go back some years but nothing recent”. He said police had had “no contact” with Ms Anderson or her partner recently “until this incident”.

“There are some previously reported incidents but nothing recent. I won’t elaborate as to the specifics of that, we want to speak with the family members and other loved ones of these two persons to ascertain if there are any … issues which need to be considered."

‘Catastrophic’: Woman ‘may have jumped’ from moving Hilux

A young woman, who died on the side of the Bruce Hwy after being found 80m from the ute she was travelling in with her partner, has been named as 28-year-old Courtney Paige Anderson.

It comes as police investigate whether Ms Anderson, from New Auckland in the Gladstone region, may have jumped from the moving vehicle (of which photos have been released) about 5.15pm at Bajool where witnesses tried desperately to save her.

Speaking to reporters in Rockhampton on Tuesday Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Kevin Mawdsley said police understood Ms Anderson was travelling with her 35-year-old male partner to Rockhampton but sadly “never made it” to their destination.

He would not be drawn on whether Ms Anderson had jumped from the gold Toyota Hilux, as reported by some on social media, but confirmed she had been found some distance from the car.

“She sustained catastrophic injuries and she lost her life but I won’t comment at this point in time about how those injuries were sustained,” he said.

“The male was taken to Rockhampton Hospital yesterday evening and my understanding is he was treated for shock.

Detective Acting Senior Sergeant Kevin Mawdsley speaks about the police investigation into the Bruce Hwy death of Courtney Paige Anderson.

“A number of witnesses who were travelling on the highway who stopped to render assistance all gave consistent versions that he was very distraught and highly emotional and that he needed to be treated for shock-type symptoms.

“Investigators from Rockhampton CIB were able to speak with him last night at the Rockhampton Hospital and he is co-operating with us.

“He has given us a version of events. We do intend on speaking with him again.”

The couple lived together in the Gladstone area and the 4WD extra cab Hilux was registered to Ms Anderson.

One man wrote on social media that he’d tried to save the woman.

“I tried so hard to keep her alive – I’m devastated,” he posted on Facebook.

Detective Act Snr Sgt Mawdsley said the scene was “certainly highly confronting and disturbing for those people” for those who witnessed it.

He said a Rockhampton resident was the first caller and she and a male driver, who was in a separate vehicle, stopped and rendered first aid along with a number of others.

Traffic lined up on the Bruce Highway after a horror road incident where a woman died, south of Rockhampton, on April 1, 2024.

“Those community members performed first aid and CPR for a number of minutes with the assistance of QAS call operators,” he said.

“When QAS arrived, there was a plan in place for Courtney to be airlifted to Rockhampton Hospital but unfortunately, she was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

Det Mawdsley said Ms Anderson’s name had been released with the permission of her family who “as you would imagine in an event like this which was unexpected and sudden (were) extremely distraught and devastated”.

He also said there was “no indication” speed was a factor.

Early Tuesday, a Rockhampton police spokesman said officers were investigating how the woman came to be outside the car.

Police are calling for anyone who saw this Toyota Hilux anywhere between Gladstone and Bajool on Monday afternoon to come forward.

Another Queensland Police Service spokesman later said “any which way that the incident has occurred, is under investigation”.

“Hopefully we do have more information later today (Tuesday), but currently the investigation is ongoing,” the QPS spokesman said.

Police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident or has relevant vision to contact them.

While many claimed the condition of the road was not to blame on this occasion, the incident was initially reported as a “crash” triggering an avalanche of comments about the deadly stretch of the Bruce Highway which is notorious for horror crashes.

In July last year, a former Big Brother winner described hours-long detours after a multimillion-dollar army tank was blackened and multiple vehicles destroyed in a horror highway crash.

In December, teen dad, Gladstone’s Wayne William Bellette, 18, died after the vehicle he was driving on the Bruce Highway at Ambrose, left the roadway shortly after 6.30pm and rolled near Gentle Annie Road.

In May 2020, 21-year-old Emily Barnett was killed when a truck collided with her RAV4 on the Bruce Highway at Midgee.

During Easter, 2007, two men died after their truck crashed through a road barrier and rolled into Eight Mile Creek, near Bajool.

Originally published as ‘My heart aches for you’: Tributes after Courtney Anderson’s tragic Bajool death