UPDATE
Police are calling on the assistance of the public to identify a woman found dead this morning on North Cronulla beach.
The woman’s body was discovered lying face down at about 5am by two women who had been exercising on the beach.
Detective Chief Inspector Terry O’Neill from the Sutherland Police Area Command said there were no identification marks or identification items on the woman who is described as 16 to 30-years-old, Indian or sub-continental in appearance, 160cm tall, of slim build with long dark hair.
Police have checked the missing persons' register, but nobody matching the woman’s description had been reported missing in recent days.
‘‘Our enquiries at the moment have not identified her and that is something we’d like some assistance with,’’ Chief Inspector O’Neill told media outside Sutherland Police station this afternoon.
‘‘Anyone who may know of a person that is missing or fits the description are asked to contact Crimestoppers.’’
The woman was wearing a long-sleeve, black, woolen turtle neck jumper, maroon pants and black runners with white sole and may have been in the Cronulla or Dunningham Park area in the afternoon, early evening or into the late evening.
Chief Inspector O’Neill said the woman sustained an injury but would not discuss the nature of the injury.
‘‘Apart from that one injury there were no other external injuries,” he said.
“The injury would not have caused her death.”
He said police did not know the time of death but expected it to be within hours not days of the body being discovered.
‘‘The autopsy is schedule for tomorrow and once we have the autopsy and the pathologists’s initial report that will give us a clearer picture as to when she may have passed.’’
Chief Inspector O’Neill said police were keeping an open mind as to the cause of death and the circumstances in which the body was found.
‘‘The body was wet. Tidal information shows it was high tide during the night so there is a possibility that she was in the water,’’ he said.
‘‘We had Polair do a fly over of the ocean to see if there was any debris in the water to make sure there wasn’t a boat or people in the water.”
“The crime scene itself is a moving crime scene in that it is a beach and is effected by environmental factors.
“We start from the crime scene and have to work backwards.
“Our hope is that we can identify the lady and get in touch with her loved ones and work out the circumstances by which she was found on North Cronulla beach.”
Chief Inspector O’Neill said police will be canvassing Prince Street and the beachfront area tonight seeking assistance from the public.
‘‘We’re checking the Cronulla CBD, the parkland, there are a number of cameras in the area and we are going through that which is labor intensive and if we obtain anything we’ll be seeking more assistance,” he said.
‘‘Information from the public is vital at this stage and we encourage anyone with the slightest of information to contact Crimestoppers.”
- Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
EARLIER
Police have established a crime scene after the body of an unidentified woman washed up on North Cronulla beach this morning.
A police spokesman said the woman’s body was discovered by a passer-by about 5am.
“A post mortem examination will be conducted in the coming days will determine the direction of inquiries,” he said.
“Inquiries are continuing. No further details are known at this time.
A passer-by told Macquarie National News he was walking past as emergency services arrived.
“Paramedics headed down the stairs to check on the body, but it was pretty clear there wasn’t much doing,” Dane Wheeler said.
He said the woman's body appeared to be fully clothed.
Police are urging anyone with information in relation to this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.