Tayla Spies missing: Human remains 1km from ute found at Noorindoo

The sister of missing mum Tayla Spies has vowed to “bring her home where she belongs” as the family awaits forensic testing results following the devastating discovery of human remains.

Police have located human remains about 1km from where the vehicle of missing mother Tayla Spies was found on a remote Queensland property.

Ms Spies’ utility and her belongings, including the pink shirt she was wearing when she was last seen eight weeks ago, were found on a property not connected to her on Thursday.

The 28-year-old woman was last seen on Sunday, February 2, between the hours of 10am and 1pm travelling along the Carnarvon Highway south of Roma in a white 2017 Toyota HiLux.

In a post on social media app TikTok on Saturday, her sister Rebecca Spies fought through tears as she recounted the last few days of emotional anguish and her feeling that the remains discovered on Friday most likely belong to the missing 28-year-old mum.

“We are still waiting for confirmation of forensic testing to be 100 per cent sure but I know in my heart that my beautiful sister is gone,” she said.

“Although we don’t have confirmation and testing still needs to be done, police and my family believe those remains are Tayla’s.

“It’s my flesh and blood and she’s gone.

“I really have tried my hardest to find her and bring her home to where she belongs, and I’m not done yet.”

Rebecca Spies, the sister of Tayla Spies, took to TikTok after the shock discovery of human remains on a remote property.

Ms Spies described the two-month ordeal as “traumatic”.

“I pray to God that nobody ever goes through this and I know there will be and my heart breaks for those people who will go through this because it is very, very traumatic,” she said.

“I want to say a really big thank you to the police, the landowner, everyone who has sent beautiful messages, everyone who has stuck up for us.”

Detective Chief Inspector Garry Watts on Friday said human remains had been located about 1km from the vehicle.

“Although we cannot confirm at this stage that those remains are those of Tayla, we suspect they may be,” Insp Watts said.

“However a complete forensic examination will need to be conducted to verify that.

“The next of kin of Tayla have been advised of this update.”

The Roma mother was driving north on the highway just south of the Condamine turn-off, 340km west of Toowoomba and about 500km west of Brisbane.

Police confirmed she left a hotel in Dalby at about 8am that day, travelling west towards Surat in a white 2018 Toyota HiLux.

After months of searching police on Friday revealed the white Toyota was found at a Yuleba-Surat Road property at Noorindoo (approximately 40 kilometres northeast of Surat) on April 3.

Emergency services were called to the property about 3pm after reports the ute matching the description of the one Tayla was seen in was located.

Detectives confirmed the ute was Tayla’s after locating property inside that was believed to be hers.

An initial search was conducted of the surrounding area, but they failed to find her.

Search efforts are expected to continue on Friday morning.

The ute was found containing the pink shirt she was last seen wearing, as well as the bag she was carrying.

Insp Watts said the landowner called police on Thursday saying he had come across Ms Spies’ vehicle.

He said police had not been able to establish any connection between Ms Spies and the property or owner.

He said the landowner believed the ute was not always there and had appeared in the past two weeks. The property backs on to the Yuleba State Forest.

Insp Watts said the car was locked. He said police had not conducted any land searches looking for Ms Spies prior to the car being located.

He said there had been aerial searches looking for Ms Spies in the region and police on Friday were conducting a review to see if they had previously conducted aerial searches over the property.

Tayla Spies’ ute was found at Noorindoo, south of Roma.

“Where the vehicle was located was about 2km into the property from the Yuleba-Surat Road, so you would not have seen this vehicle from the roadway,” Insp Watts said.

Insp Watts said the car was “well within the property boundaries”.

“The vehicle was locked and an amount of property that we believe belongs to Tayla was located in the vehicle,” he said.

Insp Watts said the bag Ms Spies was seen carrying in CCTV was in the locked car. He said police had not yet entered the vehicle and it was being towed to Roma before being forensically examined.

Tayla Spies has not been seen since February 2.

Insp Watts said the car was not hidden.

“I don’t know whether it was there since Tayla went missing on February 2,” he said.

“As I said the land owner doesn’t believe it has been there longer than 12 days but we are making inquiries in relation to that.”

The pink shirt that Ms Spies was seen wearing in CCTV released by police could be seen in the vehicle, Insp Watts said.

Insp Watts confirmed her partner was believed to have been the last person to have seen her.

South West District Detective Chief Inspector Garry Watts. Picture: John Gass

“We are unsure of what happened to Tayla at this stage, we are making our inquiries and we are not forming any opinion in relation to that until we can finish our inquiries and hopefully locate Tayla,” he said.

Insp Watts said police had spoken to Ms Spies’ family.

“I suppose you would say it was relief yet also a sense of frustration – like we are – is okay why is it there and what can we find out about the area and recover there,” he said.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about her whereabouts to immediately contact police.

CCTV footage released last month also showed her vehicle at the intersection of Burrowes Street and Cordelia Street in Surat at 11.10am.

In March police released new footage of the mum.

Ms Spies described as caucasian, with brown shoulder length hair, blue eyes, slim build and approximately 170cm tall, and has the word KARMA tattooed across her chest.

She was last seen wearing a fluorescent pink long sleeve shirt and light-coloured shorts.

In late February Ms Spies’ family issued a desperate plea for information.

In the video, released by the Queensland Police Service, Rebecca Spies said her sister’s disappearance had consumed the whole family.

“We have no knowledge if anybody has spoken to her since then, has seen her and we have no knowledge if she is okay,” she said.

“The pain and enormity of her absence increases with each day that passes, and the worry is consuming us all.

“My sister Tayla is funny, brave, thoughtful, and is always there for people when they need her.”

Originally published as Tayla Spies missing: Human remains 1km from ute found at Noorindoo