Police consider 'all possibilities' in woman's disappearance

MISSING TOURIST

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Port Douglas Police Senior Sergeant Damien Meadows (centre) with water police as they prepare to conduct a search of Dicksons Inlet. IMAGE: Newsport.

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POLICE are considering ‘all possibilities’ as they enter a third day of searching for missing woman Lipping Zhou.

The 71 year-old Chinese tourist, who doesn’t speak English and suffers from dementia, was last seen on CCTV footage near the Pandanus Caravan Park in the early hours of Thursday morning (4am). She was reported missing by family after climbing out a window from a Murphy Street residence sometime after 10pm on Wednesday night.

A local man also told Police she walked into his backyard on Craven Close at 1.30am on Thursday morning.

Senior Sergeant Damien Meadows said the threat of wildlife in the region was being looked at.

“We all know there’s a number of different species in Far North Queensland with the ability to incapacitate people,” Meadows said.

“Snake bite, she may have wandered too close to Dicksons Inlet in an area where there might have been a crocodile capable of an attack.

“There are a number of different potential scenarios that we’ll need to look at in the long run.”

A water search is conducted in the crocodile inhabited Dicksons Inlet in Port Douglas. IMAGE: Newsport.

Meadows said two water searches around the crocodile inhabited Dicksons Inlet had so far found no sign of the woman.

Locals were being asked to check their own homes, empty holiday units and neighbouring properties.

“Being quite meek and mild mannered she probably isn’t crying out for help. She probably doesn’t think she needs help in her own head,” he said.

SES vehicles arrive at Four Mile Beach. IMAGE: Newsport.

“Police have received a number of different lines of enquiry from locals. We have been able to locate some CCTV footage from the evening she went missing, which gives us a better time line of events.

“We’ve been able to get a better sense of her direction of travel, which helps somewhat in the process, but we’ve still been unable to find her.”

Air, land and sea searches will continue today.

Lipping Zhou, 71, has been missing since 10pm on Wednesday night. IMAGE: Supplied.


Anyone with information can contact Policelink on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

CCTV footage captures Lipping Zhou walking on Davidson Street in the early hours of Thursday morning. It's believed she may still be in these clothes carrying the distinctive large bag. IMAGE: Supplied.



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