Remains of Missing Woman Found in Remote Woodland 3 Years to the Day After She Vanished

The remains of Lucinda Miller, who vanished three years ago, have been discovered on the same date she went missing.

On Thursday, Oct. 16, Miller’s remains were found in woodland near Neerim South, a rural area about 70 miles east of Melbourne, Australia. Alongside the remains, police recovered clothing and a vodka bottle, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

“Police have located human remains during the search for missing woman Lucinda in Neerim South,” Victoria Police said in a statement. “The remains were located this morning, on the three-year anniversary of Lucinda’s disappearance.”

Authorities noted that about 60 people had taken part in the renewed search effort over the previous three days, thanking the Neerim South CFA, SES, DEECA, and the AFP for their assistance. Police added that her death is not being treated as suspicious.

Acting Inspector Paula Linford told ABC that the discovery came after a member of the public shared new information with investigators, giving them “a new place to start.”

“We never know which piece of information is going to be that linchpin that points us in the right direction,” Linford said. “That gave us a different point to start our search again.”

Miller was 24 years old when she went missing on Oct. 16, 2022, after accepting a ride from Melbourne to Neerim South, according to ABC and Sky News Australia.

She was dropped off along the side of a road around 11:30 a.m. but never made it home.

Linford explained that there was “no malice” involved in the ride or in the driver’s account of events. “At the time, that was what he remembered,” she said. “But the new information that we received gave us the new location.”

The Australian Federal Police’s technology detection dogs assisted in the recovery. The remains were found roughly one mile from the original search area.

“One of the dogs started to have some indication that something was going on,” Linford told ABC. “One of our detectives came back to where they were and located the vodka bottle,” she added, explaining that the bottle led to the discovery of Miller’s remains.

“It’s been a huge effort for everyone — really hard going in the bush,” Linford said, noting that at times, searchers were on their “hands and knees.”

She added that the disaster victim identification team and a forensic anthropologist are now working to determine Miller’s cause of death.