The idyllic shores of Wangetti Beach in Far North Queensland became the scene of an unspeakable horror in October 2018, when a young woman's life was brutally cut short. The subsequent investigation would span continents and years, culminating in a life sentence for her killer.
A Life Full of Promise, Ended on a Secluded Shore
Toyah Cordingley, a vibrant 24-year-old animal lover, was living her dream in a tropical paradise. She worked at the Paws and Claws animal shelter in Port Douglas, known for her gentle way with frightened creatures, and also at a local health store. With a boyfriend, Marco, and a role as a bridesmaid in her best friend's upcoming wedding, her future seemed bright.
On 21 October 2018, a sunny Sunday afternoon, Toyah drove to the secluded Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, to walk her beloved dog, Indie. When she failed to return, her family grew worried. Marco, having seen her car still parked at the beach, alerted them, and she was reported missing.
A Father's Unthinkable Discovery
The next morning, Toyah's separated parents, Troy and Vanessa, along with her brother Jack, began a desperate search along the coastline. It was her father, Troy, who made the grim discovery. He noticed an odd mound of sand under a tree, roughly 800 metres from her car.
"He knelt and started to push the sand away and his hand hit something. Looking down, he saw a foot," the court would later hear. Heartbroken, he immediately knew he had found his daughter's shallow grave and urged the rest of the family to stay back.
Nearby, Indie was found alive but tied so tightly to a tree with her own lead she could not sit. A patch of blood-soaked sand and Toyah's cap marked the spot where she had lain as her killer dug. A post-mortem revealed she had been stabbed more than 26 times and had bravely fought for her life, suffering defensive wounds.
The International Manhunt for a Fugitive Nurse
Critical DNA evidence was recovered from a stick at the burial site. Meanwhile, tracking data showed Toyah's missing phone had travelled away from the beach after her death. Police analysis of traffic cameras led them to a blue Alfa Romeo seen on the Captain Cook Highway.
The trail pointed directly to Rajwinder Singh, a 41-year-old married nurse and father of three. Crucially, Singh had booked a one-way flight to New Delhi, India, on the very morning Toyah's body was found, telling his wife he would be away for a few days. He never returned, leaving his family destitute.
Forensic experts stated DNA from Singh's home was 3.7 billion times more likely to match the sample on the stick than not. With Singh now a fugitive in India, Queensland police took the extraordinary step in late 2022 of offering a record AUD$1 million reward for information leading to his location.
The reward worked. A tip-off three weeks later led Indian authorities to a Sikh temple in New Delhi, where Singh, who had grown a beard to alter his appearance, was arrested. He was extradited to Australia, claiming to an undercover officer he had witnessed two masked attackers and fled in fear.
Justice Served After a Long, Painful Wait
After a first trial in March 2025 ended in a hung jury, a retrial was held. Prosecutors argued Singh had fled to become a "needle in a haystack" and suggested a possible motive: that Toyah may have confronted him over inappropriate behaviour, as there had been prior incidents of indecency on that beach.
In December 2025, the jury convicted Singh of murder. At sentencing, Toyah's mother, Vanessa, confronted him: "You stole the precious life of our daughter from us. It was done in the most horrendous way, full of the most unimaginable pain and fear." Her father, Troy, described his enduring trauma, struggling with even simple social interactions.
The judge labelled Singh a "gutless coward" and sentenced him to life in prison with a non-parole period of 25 years. While the precise motive remains unknown, the judge concluded it was likely an opportunistic, fatal encounter after Toyah challenged him.
Toyah's memory is kept alive in her community through sunflower tributes—her favourite flower—and painted stones left around the world by travellers in her honour, a poignant legacy for a young woman whose life ended so violently on a peaceful beach.
