An emergency dash across Australia by two women to find their missing triplet sister has ended in tragedy with the discovery of Claire Hockridge's body.
Ms Hockridge, 46, of Alice Springs, was in a group of three people who became stranded in the central Australian outback a fortnight ago.
Their ute was bogged in a sandy river bed 22km from the Stuart Highway.
Ms Hockridge's friend Phu Tran, 40, and her partner Tamra McBeath-Riley, 52, were both found and rescued on Tuesday and Sunday respectively.
Police Superintendent Pauline Vicary said on Tuesday that was a miracle given how long they had been stranded in hot conditions.
Unfortunately a third miracle was not achieved with police announcing the discovery of a woman's body south of Alice Springs at 1pm (CST) Wednesday.
The body was 38km southeast of the Stuart Well roadhouse and 8.5km east of the highway.
Ms Hockridge's emotional triplet sisters Sarah and Melinda told reporters it had been a "tremendously difficult and agonising time".
Sarah Hockridge, who had travelled from her farm at Wave Rock in Western Australia, thanked everyone involved in helping them, singling out Detective Matt Hughes who was in constant contact.
"We are all grieving and exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster that we've ridden," she told reporters.
"Even though Claire has died in terrible circumstances, we are glad Tamra and Phu have been found alive and well and we're extremely grateful for everyone involved in that."
Claire Hockridge had two daughters, Teagan and Tahlia and a grandchild.
Teagan posted on social media "Devastated & heartbroken doesn't reach our pain in this time; we as a family appreciate the public's respect for our time of grief & while we come to terms with this reality. Mumma we love you."
South Australian Mr Tran, who was found disoriented by pastoralist Ted Fogarty on his Palmer Valley station on Tuesday morning, thanked police and the man who rescued him.
"Ted, the landowner near the cattle farm, he's a battler, he's got 1000 head of cattle and he dropped everything to make sure I was all right," he told reporters.
Mr Tran told police he had last seen Ms Hockridge at the station fence line two days earlier, before he kept walking along it to try and get help until he found water and was discovered by Mr Fogarty 12km from their car.
Police warned on Wednesday that Ms Hockridge had been missing in remote Central Australia for more than two weeks with limited to no water supplies.
Formal identification is yet to be conducted and police will prepare a report for the coroner.
The group had told people they were going on a trip out of Alice Springs on November 19 and police announced they were missing on November 27.
Ms McBeath-Riley was rescued on Sunday afternoon after a station worker noticed tyre tracks and alerted police.
They stayed together for a harrowing few days with little food before splitting up to get help.
They left a note inside their car.
Ms McBeath-Riley spoke outside hospital on Monday, saying she was "worried to death", because she thought the pair - who had a GPS and compass with them - would have earlier reached the Stuart Highway.
Australian Associated Press
