Police are searching through missing persons records in an attempt to identify a decomposing body that washed up on a popular beach in Sydney.
The corpse of a woman believed to be in her 20s or 30s was found by a member of the public about 5.45am on Wednesday at the northern end of Bronte Beach.
But eyewitness accounts have revealed the body was actually seen floating in the water on Tuesday evening, several hours before it was reported to police.
According to the Daily Mail it was spotted as early as 5.00pm on Tuesday, with surfer Max Verneer telling the publication they thought the body was a mannequin and could not be a person.
“It was prxjmtzywetty shocking. It wasn’t nice to see. It was face down so I could see the back. It was weird. It was naked so we thought it must be a dummy,” he said.
“We weren’t 100 per cent sure, so we didn’t call it in. But it was floating towards the beach so we thought whatever it was would eventually wash ashore.”
A crime scene was established and inquiries are underway, but police said the death was not being treated as suspicious.
Attempts to identify the body may be difficult, with Mr Verneer saying “pieces of the skin looked like they were gone” and police believing it had been in the water for a long period of time.
Anyone who has information which may assist with the ongoing investigation is urged to contact Waverley Police on 9369 9899 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
