A missing grandmother has been identified as the woman whose remains were found partially submerged inside a remote livestock dip, eight months after she vanished.

Yvonne Whear, 73, was last seen on February 19, driving near Murwillumbah in NSW’s northern rivers.

Police are treating her death as a homicide.

Searches earlier in the year turned up no trace of Whear, until her gold-coloured Ford Escape was found on a riverbed at Rous River on September 12.

Yvonne Whear’s gold-coloured Ford Escape was found on a riverbed at Rous River. Photo: NSW Police

Police were then called to bushland in Terragon, about 16 kilometres south-west of Murwillumbah, on October 5 after reports of a body from trail bike-riders.

That was when officers retrieved the body from the stock dip, which is used to treat animals with pesticides.

Tweed-Byron commander Acting Superintendent Matt Zimmer confirmed on Tuesday that the remains belonged to Whear.

Her family and the local community were distraught at the news, Zimmer said.

“The news of Yvonne’s death in these circumstances is tragic. Her family are devastated … they have described this loss as unimaginable grief, and you can’t comprehend what they are going through this morning,” he said.

“Yvonne’s death has not only affected her family; it’s also had a significant impact upon the local community. It’s created distress, and it has created some concern in what is a very tight regional community.”

Family had appealed for help to locate Yvonne Whear. Photo: Supplied

Police and the family previously appealed for assistance during wide-ranging searches for Whear.

“Someone out there knows something,” her daughter, Gillian Hallac, had previously pleaded.

“Even the smallest detail could help bring mum home, and we’re begging people to share what they know. Our family, especially her grandchildren – need answers.”

Zimmerman extended that appeal on Tuesday.

“If you do hold information, I’d ask you to consider what [Whear’s] family are going through right at the moment, the grief they are suffering,” he said.

He would not reveal, however, what evidence police had gathered so far.

Zimmerman said, based on information that police held, there was no cause for further alarm.

Whear was last seen at a service station on Queensland Road, believed to have been travelling home to Dungay.

Zimmerman previously revealed her body was badly decomposed upon discovery in the dip, which is on Crown land.

He said it was difficult to determine how long the remains had been at the site.

-AAP