Ex-partner charged with murder after Brisbane River death of Crystal Beale

A 49-year-old man has been charged with murder and misconduct with a corpse in connection with the death of Crystal Beale, a Brisbane mother of two, whose body was recovered from the Brisbane River in Yeronga seven months ago.

Beale, who was 49, was last seen after a family dinner in Sunnybank, captured on CCTV, getting into her ex-partner's car and travelling to West End, where she was allegedly dropped off. Her body was found by a rower in the early hours of February 22. Police initially said the death did not appear suspicious but later opened a homicide investigation after further inquiries and a post-mortem.

After more than 1,000 hours of CCTV footage review and other inquiries, detectives executed a search warrant at a Maudsland address on Monday morning and arrested a 49-year-old man from West End. He was charged with one count each of murder (domestic violence offence) and misconduct with a corpse. He is due to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court later on Monday.

"Over the past seven months detectives have been tirelessly investigating every avenue possible to find answers for her family," Detective Inspector Wayne Francis said. "We were not going to give up until we could provide these answers and get justice for Crystal."

Beale’s children, aged 22 and 15, have spoken publicly about the impact of her death. In March, her eldest daughter, Charlie-Rose Wagner, wrote on social media that, at first, she believed her mother’s death was non-suspicious but that the case had taken a horrific turn. "At first we were assured that her death was non suspicious, this has now taken a horrific turn and I will never be the same again," Wagner said. She urged anyone with information to contact police and to share information widely in a bid to bring her mother peace: "Please share everywhere you can. Help me bring my mum to peace."

The investigation underscores the challenges in cases involving domestic violence, where the path from initial assessment to a homicide inquiry can unfold over months as investigators sift through CCTV, phone data, and other material. Authorities stressed that the case remains ongoing as prosecutors prepare charges for court.

This development in Brisbane follows a pattern of inquiries in which relatives and law enforcement must pursue clarity over an extended period. Police have not indicated further arrests at this time, and officials have urged anyone with additional information to come forward to aid the ongoing investigation.