From the outside, nothing seems to link Stephanie Cordery and Yvonne Whear – except the mystery that surrounds what happened to them.
Both women disappeared without a trace from the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales this year.
Yvonne was last sighted in Dungay about February 19, 2026. Some six months later – on August 5 – Stephanie disappeared from Ballina.
On Monday, trail bike riders found the badly decomposed body on an as-yet unidentified woman in stockyard dip at Terragon, about 20km south-west of Murwillumbah. A crime scene is in place and police say her death is suspicious.
Yvonne’s car was found in the Rous River at Dulguigan on September 12.
Located with all doors closed and no one inside by police divers, the vehicle was just a short distance from Yvonne’s home.
Her family believes the 73-year-old was deliberately disappeared.
“Yvonne was not located with the vehicle and remains outstanding as a missing person,” NSW police said of finding her car.
Yvonne was captured by CCTV on February 19 buying orange juice and putting $50 credit on her phone at the Shell service station in Murwillumbah.
She then drove to her small hobby farm at Dungay.
Someone saw Yvonne’s gold Ford Escape wagon – parked in the dark without lights, on Dungay Creek Road – about 8.30pm that night.
The boots and hat she wore that day were still in her house, food was in the slow cooker and her usual shoes were at the door.
Her clothes were folded on her bed. Her phone’s last ping was at 10am in the area where her car was found.
Her family says she would have never left her animals alone.
Stephanie was last seen on Woodlark Street in Lismore about 5.30am on August 5.
Police found the 42-year-old’s car on her boyfriend’s property with her handbag, wallet and keys still inside.
Police were unable to find any evidence in the vehicle.
Police have scaled back their searches of the region and it is now Stephanie’s family who are looking for her.
If you know anything about Yvonne, Stephanie or the woman found at Terragon, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
TWO WOMEN. ONE BODY. ONE REGION. NO ANSWERS.
