Toyah Cordingley. Photo: Queensland Police
Cairns, Australia – A distraught father has revealed the sad moment he found the body of his daughter buried in sand on a well-known Australian beach.
Troy Cordingley testified in a Cairns court on February 26, describing how he came across the remains of his 24-year-old daughter, Toyah Cordingley, on Wangetti Beach in Far North Queensland in October 2018. She had vanished the day before while taking her dog for a walk.
Rajwinder Singh, 40, has denied murdering her and is on trial at the Supreme Court.
A Father’s Worst Nightmare
Troy explained to the jury how he had been frantically looking for his daughter when he spotted something strange in the sand.
“I went to my knees and picked up sand three times. When I scooped the sand up the third time, there was a foot,” he testified. “I backed away. I was horrified. I cried out, ‘Help me, help me.’ I was stunned, shocked.”
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Disturbing Details Emerge in Court
Forensic specialists disclosed that Toyah had an “extraordinarily deep” 17-centimeter wound to her neck, as well as other injuries to her chest, abdomen, and fingers. Prosecutors have indicated that she could have been buried alive.
“She was left with her injuries with no hope of survival,” Crown Prosecutor Nathan Crane said.
Police also referred to records from Toyah’s phone location, which indicated she might have been relocated from the beach at approximately 5 p.m. on the day she disappeared. CCTV cameras later captured a blue Alfa Romeo sedan driving through the same routes as her phone.
Key Suspect Fled to India
Singh, who drove a similar car, departed from Australia for New Delhi just a day after the body of Toyah was discovered. He was detained in India in November 2022 and brought to Australia.
DNA under Toyah’s fingernails was also “2000 times more likely” to be that of Singh rather than a stranger, prosecutors stated.
Defense Disputes the Case
Singh’s attorney, Angus Edwards, contended that there is no direct evidence linking his client to the crime, informing the jury that anyone present at the beach on the day of the murder could be the perpetrator.
“As you make your way through the trial, ask yourself if Mr. Singh being the killer is the only possibility,” he said.
In the meantime, boyfriend Marco Heidenreich was the first to report Toyah missing. He has since denied his part in her death, given that his stepfather is a retired policeman with links to the investigation.
The trial will take some more weeks as the jury considers the evidence.
