Woman body’s found near Gold Coast Highway in Broadbeach

A woman sleeping rough in bushland at a Gold Coast park has been found dead overnight with police declaring a crime scene. Read the latest on the investigation.

A woman found dead in bushland off a major Gold Coast road was sleeping rough and reportedly living with a terminal illness.

It’s understood the 57-year-old’s body was found by a male rough sleeper at a makeshift campsite near Cascade Gardens in Broadbeach on Tuesday afternoon. The alarm was raised when the man attended a nearby fire station and reported the discovery.

The tent where the woman's body was found on Tuesday afternoon. Picture: Supplied.

Police attended the address along the Gold Coast Highway about 4pm and declared a crime scene.

It’s understood the woman had been living at the site for some time and was in the advanced stages of a terminal illness. Personal items including a bike, gas cooktop, children’s soft toys and furniture could be seen surrounding the area where the woman had been staying.

What appeared to be blood splatters could be seen on the entrance to the woman’s tent.

According to police sources, the woman had sustained injuries to her body but it’s unclear at this stage whether they played any role in her death, or if there are any suspicious circumstances.

WHat appear to be blood splatters on the entrance to the woman’s tent. Picture: Supplied.

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said: “Police will await the results of a postmortem to determine the cause of death. A crime scene was declared at the location while forensic examinations were completed.”

Police disbanded the crime scene at about lunchtime on Wednesday, with the tent and campsite left within the bushland for council staff to remove.

The dense bushes throughout Cascade Gardens are known for rough sleepers, with a number of other vacant tents scattered throughout the area.

A spokeswoman for the Minister for Housing, Sam O’Connor, confirmed his department was aware of the woman’s circumstances and had made ongoing attempts to provide her with assistance.

Originally published as Woman body’s found near Gold Coast Highway in Broadbeach