Story summary
Payge Leembruggen, a 31-year-old mother of a special-needs son, was found dead on September 15 near Mackay Harbour North Wall Beach in Queensland, Australia. She had last been seen at Apollo Hair salon in Andergrove around 9:00 am on September 11. Emergency services were alerted when her body was discovered by a dog walker early Tuesday morning.
A year earlier, Leembruggen had posted to a Facebook group for private rentals seeking help after leaving an abusive relationship, expressing hope for a better life with her son. Her death has left her family searching for answers; they revealed a mysterious Snapchat message sent to her grandfather on the day she disappeared, stating she would arrange her own transport home from the salon.
Detectives are treating Leembruggen's death as suspicious until proven otherwise, indicating an ongoing investigation into both the circumstances and cause of her tragic passing.
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The devastated grandfather of a young mother found dead on a Queensland beach has revealed the strange message he received the day she disappeared.
Payge Leembruggen, a 31-year-old mother to a special-needs son, was last seen arriving at Apollo Hair, a salon in Mackay, on Friday, September 11 around 9am.
Her body was found in scrubland atop the sand dunes at Mackay's North Wall Beach by a dog walker at 8am on Tuesday.
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body → see → Tuesday
Detectives say they are treating her death as 'suspicious until it is proved otherwise'.
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it → say → death
Now her distraught family has told the Daily Mail of a mysterious Snapchat message that may provide vital clues about Ms Leembruggen's final days.
uncertain
that → tell → days
Her grandfather David Leembruggen said he was the last family member to see her alive when he drove her from the family home in Mt Jukes to the hair appointment.
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he → say → appointment
'She was quite okay,' he told the Daily Mail on Thursday.
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he → tell → Thursday
'I drove her in because she doesn't have a licence, and said, "Give me a yell when you're ready to be picked up".
'
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you → drive → yell
Then she sent me a message saying, "Don't worry about picking me up, I'll get my own transport home."
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I → send → transport
He never heard from her again.
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He → hear → her
Police arrived at the family property on Tuesday morning and broke the news to them that she had been found dead.
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she → arrive → them
Payge was last seen at a hair salon in Mackay on Friday, September 11
Police have appealed for any information on Ms Leembruggen's whereabouts in the four days before her body was discovered.
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body → see → days
The Daily Mail can reveal an associate of Ms Leembruggen had seen a Snapchat from her over the weekend, which showed her dancing with an unidentified woman.
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her → reveal → woman
Mr Leembruggen said he had yet to see the Snapchat firsthand and didn't know where or when it was posted.
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it → say → Snapchat
'A family friend contacted us to say they had seen it, but the post, being Snapchat, has disappeared,' he said.
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he → contact → it
Mr Leembruggen said the family hadn't reported her missing because it was not out of character for her to vanish for days at a time.
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her → say → time
'She didn't mention any plans for the weekend [when I dropped her off],' he added.
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he → mention → her
'We were treated a bit like mushrooms [by her] and kept in the dark.
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We → treat → dark
'She often didn't come home for four or five days or whatever.
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She → come → days
You wouldn't see her and then she'd come home.
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she → see → her
Ms Leembruggen lived with her grandparents and her mother Julia, who was often responsible for looking after Ms Leembruggen's five-year-old son, Nakoa.
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who → live → son
She was mother to a five-year-old boy who has category three autism and is non-verbal
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who → have → autism
Mr Leembruggen said the child, shared with her ex Cris Wilesmith and who has category three autism and is non-verbal, is not aware that his mother is dead.
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mother → say → autism
'But he loved her.
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he → love → her
When he saw her, he would sometimes run up for a cuddle,' he said.
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he → see → cuddle
Ms Leembruggen, who was Aboriginal through her late father's side, had lived a troubled life, her grandfather admitted, and had used 'ice or meth' since a teenager.
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grandfather → live → teenager
'She was a very friendly person but had a wonderful technique for finding terrible friends and men,' Mr Leembruggen said.
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Leembruggen → have → friends
Another friend alleged she had escaped a 'terrible domestic violence situation last year'.
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she → allege → situation
In June, Ms Leembruggen was looking for housing on Facebook, saying she was hoping to start a new life with her son after leaving a 'domestic violence relationship'.
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she → look → relationship
'I am a single mother of a three-year-old boy with special needs,' she wrote in a group for private rentals in the Mackay area.
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she → write → area
Nakoa is being cared for by his grandmother and great-grandparents and has not yet been told of his mother's death
'
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Nakoa → care → death
I'm looking for preferably a two-bedroom place but would still be stoked with a one-bedroom.
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I → look → bedroom
I have recently left a bad DV relationship, lost everything and my current living situation isn't the best, but it's a roof over our heads.
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it → leave → heads
But we would love to have a place to call home.'
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we → love → place
Her friend Safiira Shah has set up a GoFundMe appeal for Ms Leembruggen's son.
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friend → set → son
'[He] was her world,' Ms Shah said.
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Shah → say → ?
'The strength he has already shown is amazing although the journey ahead is one no child should endure.
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child → show → ?
He is a very bright, loving boy, but the bond he shared with his mother will never be replicated.
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he → love → mother
An incredibly sad prospect for any child to face.'
Ms Shah said he will be cared for by his great-grandparents and grandmother, with any funds raised going towards his specialist care and helping ease future financial pressures.
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funds → face → pressures
In the fundraiser, she also paid tribute to Ms Leembruggen, describing her friend as 'one of the most loving and empathetic' people she's ever met.
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she → pay → people
'She was always one to put others' needs before her own,' Ms Shah said.
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Shah → put → own
Police are treating her death as 'suspicious until it is proved otherwise' after she was found on a Mackay beach (pictured)
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she → treat → beach
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