Crocodile
CrocodileFlash 90

An elderly Australian woman suffering from dementia who went missing last week was eaten by a crocodile, police say.

Anne Cameron, 79, first vanished from her home in Australia last Tuesday. Search teams found Cameron's walking stick and the remains of some clothes near a river infested with crocodiles and her remains were found inside a large crocodile on Tuesday that was caught and euthanized.

"The staff are experts in crocodile behavior, biology, and ecology and have done a tremendous job in identifying and removing the target animal," said Queensland Environment Minister Steven Miles. "It has been a very difficult and harrowing week for all involved, and my thoughts are with the family of Anne Cameron at this sad time."

Cameron is the third Australian eaten by a crocodile within the past 18 months.

Rescue forces said that the swampy marshland had made the search exceedingly difficult. "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," emergency service area controller Sean McGuinness told ABC.

"The teams are persevering, they understand what we need to try and achieve and basically try and assist police to get some information about the situation."