Tea Wright-Finger found dead near Richmond, Queensland after extensive search, details missed
The discovery of Tea Wright-Finger’s body less than 3 miles from the remote Queensland town from which she disappeared has sparked many questions as locals and police investigate why the weeks-long search hasn’t yielded the bright blue 4WD in which she was last seen.
The 19-year-old cattle station employee was dropped off by a friend near Richmond, 310 miles west of Townsville, on Oct. 16 before vanishing in a blue Toyota Prado.
A massive air and land search covering thousands of miles was launched, but was halted nine days later after authorities failed to find any trace of the missing teen.
A breakthrough came on Thursday morning when a monster helicopter spotted the Toyota just 5 km from the town where it was last seen.
Hours later, search crews found Mrs. Wright-Finger’s body in thick undergrowth, 600 meters from the vehicle.
The discovery has sent shockwaves through the small community of Richmond, where the 19-year-old’s father had traveled to search for his daughter.
Police are also investigating some disturbing TikToks posted by Ms Wright-Finger before she disappeared, which showed her face bloodied and stained with tears.
Hundreds of locals were involved in searches, including heartbroken local Patrick Miller, who remains suspicious that the small town has not heard the full story.
Tea Wright-Finger, 19, (pictured) went missing after being dropped off by a friend on Oct. 16 near Richmond, 500km west of Townsville, Queensland.
In a TikTok video posted in the months leading up to her disappearance, Ms Wright-Finger is emotional and sobbing uncontrollably as blood is smeared on her face (pictured)
‘I’m completely devastated. It makes no sense,” Mr Miller told the ABC.
Other locals wondered how the 19-year-old’s body could be found just 5 km from the city just weeks after she went missing.
Richmond Mayor John Wharton wondered why the Local Disaster Management Group was not immediately called and why the municipality was not involved in the search.
“I don’t know too many… local residents who were involved in the search, other than helicopter pilots, local contractors, local samplers,” he said.
‘You can’t compete with local knowledge.’
Ms Wright-Finger was captured on CCTV wandering through a roadhouse in Richmond on October 16 in the hours before she disappeared
Tea’s mother said her daughter loved her job at Richmond Downs Station (pictured)
Dramatic footage of the moment police found a blue Toyota Prado driven by the missing teenager in the remote outback was released by police six weeks after Ms Wright-Finger’s disappearance
The SES joined the search more than a week after the cattle station worker disappeared, with more than 100 volunteers joining the search.
John Forde, the SES area controller for the Northern Region, said he was surprised to learn the teen’s body had been found so close to the city.
He said ATVs, 4WDs, dirt bikes and people on horseback had braved the heat to scour the “very large sparse area.”
‘But not to have seen the planes and helicopters and the boys [the car] on the first quest, is quite surprising,” he said.
Friend Shenea Neill said Ms. Wright-Finger was a bubbly and outgoing girl who routinely checked in on her loved ones.
“She was very welcoming with everyone she met, always going out of her way to brighten everyone’s day,” she told the ABC.
“It just seemed odd that she’d gone so long without contacting friends or family when she’d always be someone to reach out to the people close to her.”
The body of 19-year-old Tea Wright-Finger was found Thursday, six weeks after she disappeared
The blue 2013 Toyota Prado (pictured), Mrs. Wright-Finger, last seen entering, was found on Wednesday with her body 600 meters from the vehicle the following day
Concerns about the 19-year-old grew last month after a series of disturbing TikTok videos she posted surfaced, with captions such as “If it’s toxic, it’s toxic.”
In her latest TikTok video — less than two weeks before she went missing — she told followers, “I’m not feeling well, I want to go home.”
In another video posted in late 2021, she could be seen sad and emotional, sobbing uncontrollably with blood smeared all over her nose, face and hand.
In the disturbing clip, the teen showed off her bloodied face and warned, “Always take risks in life, you never know when it’s going to end.”
It’s part of a montage of clips and selfies in which Ms. Wright-Finger shows off her smashed face and later bruises as the wounds slowly heal.
Traci Wright (left) has spent the past six weeks desperately trying to figure out what happened to her daughter (right) and has thanked the community for their support
The teen posted a series of TikTok videos that gave a glimpse into her past, including one where she revealed the “life lessons” she learned at age 19 (pictured)
Another of her last TikTok posts was on her 19th birthday where she laid out the lessons she had learned in life so far.
That included the ominous warning that, “It’s okay to feel lost sometimes.”
“Always take risks in life, you never know when it will end,” she says in the clip.
‘You always have to work hard to get what you want, nobody gives it to you. If people want you in their lives, they’ll make time for you.’
The videos have since been inundated with comments from concerned friends.
According to her mother Traci Wright, Mrs. Wright-Finger worked at Richmond Downs Station where she loved her job.
If you need support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.
