The family of Judith Browne is seeking answers after the 71-year-old was found dead in the Manning River on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.
State Emergency Service volunteers discovered her body at about 10am on Tuesday while searching for the Taree woman, who had been reported missing.
Ms Browne was last seen on Frances Street in Taree at about 10.30pm on Sunday. Her brother, Andrew, said the family was waiting for further information from police about the circumstances of her death.
Police are working to retrace her movements and have appealed for anyone with information to come forward. They are also asking people in the area to check CCTV, dashcam and doorbell-camera footage for possible sightings between 10.30pm on Sunday, September 20, and 10.15am on Tuesday, September 22.
Ms Browne was described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 165cm tall and of thin build, with shoulder-length grey-brown hair. She was last seen wearing a lavender floral dress and light brown sandals.
Tributes paid to Judith Browne
The former private tutor’s death has prompted an outpouring of grief from friends and former colleagues, who remembered her as generous, caring and willing to help others.
One friend said she was in “shock and disbelief” and needed time to process the loss.
“If you knew Judy, she was a bright spark — a bright shining light — someone who helped so many people with her generous heart and ‘dog with a bone’ approach to wrong doings perpetuated towards everyday people,” she wrote.
“The world has lost a bright light but the heavens have gained a beautiful angel.”
Another friend described Ms Browne as a “lovely, generous, giving, intelligent lady”, adding: “I just can’t believe this. Judy was one of those ladies who would help anyone in need. I’m so saddened by this.”
A further tribute described her as “such a kind woman with a heart of gold who would go out of her way to make you smile”.
A former colleague from Taree Public School said Ms Browne was “a kind, caring lady” who “had time for everyone and anyone”.
Ms Browne regularly shared photographs of her life, including images with her husband of 45 years, Norm Boyd. Her generosity also extended to supporting a child in Ethiopia, whom she began sponsoring in 1993 when he was 12.
Her eldest son, Buster, who was also 12 at the time, later took over the sponsorship in 2020.
Anyone with information or relevant footage has been urged to contact police.
