Woman's Dead Body Found Behind Wall After 12 Years
A woman missing for more than a decade was finally identified after her remains were discovered hidden behind a concrete wall in a storage area beneath a Brisbane apartment complex. Police now believe Tanya Glover was murdered in 2010 and her body concealed for 12 years before being found by cleaners.
Body Discovered by Cleaners
On Dec. 7, 2022, cleaners made a horrifying discovery while working at an apartment complex in Alderley, a suburb in north Brisbane, Australia. Behind a concrete wall in a storage area beneath the building, they found skeletal remains tightly wrapped in clothing and bedding. According to PEOPLE, the body was "partially buried" and hidden in a crawl space.
Detective Inspector John Mison later described the discovery as something he had never seen before. "I've been in the police for 35 years — I've never come across anything like this," he said, as reported by the Australian Broadcast Corporation. "At the heart of this investigation, it was about uncovering what had happened to Tanya many years ago. She deserves that justice."
A Cold Case Heats Up
For months, police worked with forensic teams and genealogists to identify the remains. According to the ABC, Tanya Glover's identity was eventually confirmed through DNA testing. Investigators used a website that stores genetic data to match the DNA to Glover's father.
Glover had not been in contact with her family, so she was never reported missing. She was last seen in August 2009 at a job assessment appointment and had a medical appointment scheduled for Jan. 8, 2010. Police believe she was killed around 10 days after that scheduled appointment, though it's unclear if she ever attended it.
At the time of her death, Glover had been renting an apartment operated by the Brisbane Housing Company for people with disabilities. She lived about five kilometers from where her body was eventually discovered. She reportedly had both hearing and vision impairments.
Vanessa Lee Turner Charged with Murder
On March 27, 2025, police arrested 61-year-old Vanessa Lee Turner in the suburb of Wulguru in Townsville, Queensland. She has been charged with murder, misconduct with a corpse, and fraud.
Police believe Turner and Glover were friends living in the same apartment complex at the time of the alleged murder.
Authorities allege Glover was murdered in 2010 and that Turner concealed the body in a storage space in the basement of the Alderley unit block. A year after the remains were found, a $500,000 reward was offered for information leading to a conviction.
Turner's case was first heard in the Townsville Magistrates Court on March 29, 2025. She did not appear in court and was represented by a legal aid duty lawyer. She was remanded in custody.
A Family Left in the Dark for Years
Glover's parents had no idea what happened to their daughter. They had lost contact with her before her death and didn't know where she was living. When police finally made an arrest, they informed her family of the developments.
"They're obviously grateful for today's events and obviously I could well imagine they've got a lot of emotions occurring," Mison said during a press conference, as reported by the ABC.
The case remains ongoing.
References: 61-Year-Old Woman Arrested for Alleged Murder of Woman Whose Body Was Found Buried in Apartment Wall | Police charge woman over alleged murder of Tanya Glover, whose body was found in wall of Brisbane unit block | Townsville woman accused of killing Tanya Glover identified has case moved to Brisbane | Woman, 61, arrested and charged with murder of Tanya Lee Glover years after skeletal remains discovered in north Brisbane unit
