An elderly woman feared to have died in tragic circumstances in Far North Queensland has been described as a "lovely" member of the Canberra community.
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Anne Cameron, 79, disappeared from a Port Douglas nursing home on Tuesday afternoon.
Queensland police were unable to rule out the possibility she had been killed by a crocodile after wandering down to a nearby river.
The grandmother had lived most of her life in Canberra, and had only recently moved to Port Douglas to be closer to her son after she was diagnosed with dementia.
A close family friend, who did not wish to be named, said Mrs Cameron had been a valued member of churches in Forrest and Yarralumla.
"She was a lovely lady," the friend said.
"Anne was very quiet and very modest. She was lovely.
"She was a very keen walker, especially after she retired. She loved to go bushwalking."
On Thursday, police found a number of items believed to belong to Mrs Cameron at the southern end of Four Mile Beach off the Mowbray River.
"We located a number of items including clothing which we believe are from the missing person," Acting Inspector Ed Lukin told media on Thursday afternoon.
"We also located a walking stick with her name on it, we have also located some biological matter which we believe to be human remains.
"Those items are currently being tested in Cairns and we expect to see results tonight or tomorrow."
Acting Inspector Lukin said given the proximity of the clothes and remains, police could not rule out the possibility of a crocodile attack.
"We have EHP officers who will conduct operations there tonight in the event there has been a croc involved in this missing person," he said.
Acting Inspector Lukin said SES volunteers would continue searching the area to keep "every available option" open.
"I do believe she suffers from dementia, it has happened previously with her and she has sought the assistance of members of the public to be returned back to Ozcare," he said.
"We continue to search that area in the hopes we do find her alive."
On Thursday Mrs Cameron's granddaughter said on social media that her family was of the "firm belief" she had died.
"It is my deep regret to inform you that following an extensive search and the discovery of certain items as a result of that search, we have the firm belief that my nan Anne Cameron has passed away in tragic circumstances," she wrote on Facebook.
"We would like to sincerely thank the police, SES, fire brigade and everyone in the Port Douglas community who helped us in the search for Anne."
