Wildlife officers will set traps for a crocodile thought to have taken a woman missing in far north Queensland.
Anne Cameron, 79, went missing from an aged care home in Port Douglas, north of Cairns, on Tuesday afternoon.
The ABC understands Mrs Cameron had, until recently, been living in Canberra.
Her granddaughter Isabella Eggins posted on social media late yesterday, saying the family believed she had died "in tragic circumstances".
Mrs Cameron's disappearance sparked a major search, as she was known to suffer from dementia and had wandered away from the facility on at least one other occasion in the past month.
Searchers yesterday made a grim discovery, finding what police believe to be human remains on the banks of a crocodile-infested creek near the Mowbray River, about two kilometres from the area Mrs Cameron was last seen.
Forensic tests are being carried out in Cairns.
Acting Inspector Ed Lukin said police and the SES searching near the creek had found clothing, and a walking stick with Mrs Cameron's name on it.
"We've also located some biological matter which we believe to be human remains, but those items are currently being tested in Cairns," he said.
In posting about the incident, Ms Eggins thanked police, the State Emergency Service (SES) and everyone else who helped in the search.
"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 said.
SES area controller Sean McGuinness said it was a difficult area to search.
"The search area is relatively flat, however the environment with the mangroves and the swamp area, it is quite hard to get through that area," he said.
The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection said wildlife officers were assisting police with the search for a crocodile in the area.
The latest incident has prompted renewed calls for crocodile culling.
Douglas Shire deputy mayor Abigail Noli said crocodile numbers had "exploded" in far north Queensland since culling stopped in 1974.
But she did not support calls for a restart to culling.
