Australian Mother Found Dead on Beach Recalled for Her Plea for a Fresh Start
Payge Leembruggen, 31, was found near Mackay Harbour on Tuesday, days after her last sighting. A year prior, she had expressed a desire to leave an abusive relationship and build a new life for her son.
Emergency services discovered the body of Payge Leembruggen, 31, near Mackay Harbour North Wall on Tuesday morning. Leembruggen was last seen on September 11 at Apollo Hair salon in Andergrove. Police stated that she had not been reported missing before her body was found and that investigations into the circumstances and cause of her death are ongoing.
In June of the previous year, Leembruggen had posted on Facebook seeking housing in the Mackay area. She described herself as a single mother of a three-year-old son with special needs and stated she was hoping to start a new life after leaving what she termed a domestic violence relationship. She mentioned having lost everything and was living in suboptimal conditions but longed for a place to call home for herself and her son.
A friend of Leembruggen, Safiira Shah, has established a GoFundMe to support Leembruggen's five-year-old son, who is described as a non-verbal, special-needs child with autism. "He was her world," Shah wrote on the fundraising page. "The strength he has already shown is amazing although the journey ahead is one no child should endure." Shah added that the bond between mother and son was unique and that the child would be cared for by his great-grandparents and grandmother. Funds raised are intended to assist with his specialist care and future financial needs.
Shah also paid tribute to Leembruggen, calling her "one of the most loving and empathetic" people she had ever met and a "beacon of light." She noted Leembruggen's tendency to prioritize others' needs before her own.
Queensland Police released an appeal on Wednesday for information from the public. Detective Inspector Emma Novosel of the Mackay Whitsunday District stated that police are trying to account for a four-day period between September 11 and 15. An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of death, and it is too early to ascertain if Leembruggen died at the beach or was moved there. Police are treating the death as suspicious until proven otherwise.
Leembruggen is described as Caucasian, approximately 178cm tall, with brown hair. She was last seen wearing a white top, bright red trousers, and a red bow in her hair. Police are urging anyone with information to contact them.