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Mossman Gorge human bones could be those of Melbourne dental assistant who disappeared eight months ago
Bones found at Mossman Gorge, Queensland
DNA test to see if they are from Melbourne wife Vinh Chuong
Ms Chuong, 54, swept away in January
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Human remains have been found in a swimming pool in Far North Queensland, with police fearing they belong to a dental assistant who went missing eight months ago.
Vinh Chuong, who lived in Melbourne, has now been identified as the missing woman after she was swept away by the swift waters of the Mossman River on January 6.
A search and rescue operation has been launched after the 54-year-old was taken downstream and disappeared underwater in bad weather.
Police divers and the SES searched for six days before the investigation was scaled back to a recovery mission as it was believed Ms Chuong had drowned.
Eight months later, a tourist made a grim discovery after discovering a human tibia in the Mossman Gorge riverbed, 20km north of Port Douglas, on August 22.
Police and SES divers searched for Vinh Chuong, 54, after he went missing at the Mossman River in January (pictured)
Police searched the waters after human remains were found eight months after Ms Chuong (pictured) disappeared Forensic analysis will confirm if the bones belong to the missing tourist
On August 28 and 29, divers re-excavated the area and recovered more bones.
Police are awaiting forensic analysis to confirm whether the bones belong to Ms Chuong.
Sergeant Matthew Smith, the police officer in charge of Mossman, said the discovery was not surprising, but added that a new line of inquiry would be opened if the bones did not belong to Ms Chuong.
“We really hope this will bring some closure to his family, but at this point we need to do a lot of forensic DNA testing to confirm that,” Sergeant Smith said.
“We kind of expected that, with her being stuck underwater under a rock,” he told the Cairns Post. “If it’s not her, it’ll open a Pandora’s box.”
Ms Chuong is believed to be the first person to die at Mossman Gorge since 2014.
Mossman Gorge is a river in Daintree National Park, north Queensland, and is a popular swimming spot among locals and tourists (pictured)
A February 15, 2014 coronary inquest examined the circumstances of the death of Taiwanese tourist Che-Wei Su.
The 28-year-old, who was a strong swimmer and had military training, was visiting the gorge with his girlfriend and three friends when he was swept away by strong currents and hit his head against rocks.
The inquest recommended an extensive review to investigate safety issues at this popular bathing spot.
Mossman Gorge in Daintree National Park will remain open to the public.