Gran's 'highly unusual' disappearance, death a mystery

The "highly unusual" disappearance and death of Wendy Hansen have triggered a major homicide investigation after she was identified as the body discovered in the popular NSW holiday destination of Coffs Harbour.

Six months after the 63-year-old was last seen alive, NSW Homicide Squad commander Danny Doherty on Thursday said the death was being treated as suspicious.

"The highly unusual disappearance of a loving grandmother, who has been found 800km from home and no one knows why," Detective Superintendent Doherty said, summing up the case.

"We'd like to solve that mystery and provide the answers to the family," he said.

Ms Hansen's family, who were not suspected of playing any role in her disappearance, had been holding out hope she might be alive after she vanished on February 29, Det Supt Doherty said.

That hope evaporated when a missing-person search linked her to remains found by volunteers clearing vegetation in dunes at Jetty Beach in Coffs Harbour in June.

"(Her family) reported her as a missing person and were hoping that she'd come back," Det Supt Doherty said.

Police issued an appeal for information after the grisly beach find, while a number of items including clothing, jewellery, reading glasses, a book, a backpack and a wallet were also recovered.

But perhaps more important were the things police did not find, such as the grandmother's phone.

"Obviously that heightens the suspicion," Det Supt Doherty said. 

Also missing is the 2007 short-wheelbase silver Mitsubishi Pajero Ms Hansen was driving, last seen heading south on Queensland's Bruce Highway north of Brisbane on the day she disappeared.

Ms Hansen was seen withdrawing cash from an ATM in her home town of Monto, west of Bundaberg and about 400km away from where her four-wheel drive was captured on CCTV, earlier that same day.

"The trail goes cold from the Sunshine Coast," Det Supt Doherty said on Thursday.

Why Ms Hansen was in Coffs Harbour and how she got there would form part of the investigation because she had no known links to the area.

The area where her remains were discovered by volunteers is near a regional train station and police are investigating whether she used other modes of transport.

It is hoped CCTV footage of Ms Hansen and images of the "unusual-looking vehicle" she was driving might jog someone's memory as investigators try to piece together her movements and a timeline for her disappearance, Det Supt Doherty said.

Australian Associated Press