When Charlie-Rose Wagner walked through the door of her stepfather’s West End apartment, she knew something was wrong.

The previous night, the 22-year-old received calls from her mother, Crystal Beale, who was crying and distressed. It was the last time Charlie-Rose would speak to her mother before she was found floating face down in the Brisbane River.

“I could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong with mum. I said to him, ‘Is she dead?’

“He said yes. He was crying, and we all cried together. I could see Jesse was really upset about not finding her.”

Jesse Beale, who was Wagner’s stepfather, had been at dinner the night before on February 21, with his ex-partner Crystal. But hours later, the body of the 49-year-old mother of two was found dead.

The final conversations

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