Police have told the family of a 14-year-old girl who went missing in floods almost three years ago that they may have found her remains.
On Sunday, the public found human bones at Boobyian, near Gympie, about 2 kilometers from where Krystal Cain was last seen almost three years ago.
Krystal was swept from her father’s arms in January 2022 when they were unexpectedly hit by raging floodwaters, the Gympie Times and Courier-Mail reported.
The teenager was traveling with her father Lenny Cain from Echuca in Victoria to visit family in Queensland when the tragedy unfolded.
The pair were driving across a bridge in the middle of the night when they got stuck in a pothole, and were hit by “raging rivers” minutes after former Cyclone Seth dumped 650mm of rain on the region.
Mr Cain tied an extension cord between them and they leaned against the driver’s side door to protect themselves from the water, but the car was suddenly swept off the road taking the two with it.
Cain and his daughter were swept meters below by the raging waters and were able to cling to tree branches, but the branches broke and they were repeatedly thrown back into the dangerous torrent.
At one point, Mr. Cain was trapped underwater and when he resurfaced, Krystal was missing.
Human remains have been found just 2km from where 14-year-old Krystal Cain (pictured) went missing during the January 2022 floods.
She and her dead man, Lenny Cain (both pictured), were trapped in the flood waters, however Mr Cain was able to get to safety.
He was dragged hundreds of meters downstream before crashing into another tree and being discovered by farmers who called rescue teams.
“I was devastated because I couldn’t see Krystal and the water was so violent, and I feared the worst right away,” Cain said.
“There’s just no possible way anyone would have survived that torrent.”
Authorities searched for weeks to find Krystal after she disappeared in the floods, but never found her.
Cain told the Gympie Times he received a phone call from police informing him of the discovery.
He hoped the discovery would mean being able to bring his daughter home if the remains are his.
Forensic officers searched the area where the remains were found and further examinations were being carried out to identify the human remains.