Police continue murder probe after Cairns woman's body found on beach

Police will continue to search for clues near a beach in Far North Queensland where a young woman's body was found following a “potentially sexually motivated” killing.

The body of Toyah Cordingley, 24, was discovered at the southern end of Wangetti Beach, about 40km north of Cairns, just after 8am yesterday.

Police believe she was killed in a "potentially sexually related murder".

Toyah Cordingley. (Facebook)

Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns. (9NEWS)

Detectives will focus their investigation on two access points to the beach today.

Her family reported her missing about 11pm on Sunday when she did not return after driving to the beach about 2.30pm.

The Cairns woman parked her car at the carpark at the beach's southern end, about 800 metres from where her body was discovered.

The 24-year-old's dog was found uninjured. Her car was found where she had left it.

Detectives say they are "working in the dark" and are calling for information from anyone who has noticed unusual beach behaviour in recent months.

Police have established a crime scene at the beach. (9NEWS)

"We are working in the dark. Other than the circumstances, clearly indicate, that there is third party involvement in this," Detective Senior Sergeant Ed Kinbacher said.

He urged anyone concerned about unusual behaviour on local beaches to come forward.

"There may have been males in the area that have made women uncomfortable, been behaving unusually, paying too much attention," SgtKinbacher said.

"Those sort of people, we want to hear about them.".

Cordingley, a pharmacy worker, was known for her love of animals and had previously worked at Paws and Claws animal shelter.

Toyah Cordingley and her dog. (Facebook)

Her Facebook page is filled with images of her with her friends and pets.

In June, she posted a screenshot of a tweet by human rights advocate Kon Karapanagiotidis.

It read: "I can only imagine the rage and fear women feel to see women die doing everyday mundane things like walking home, like they do to, only to then be told it's their fault and that they need to be more careful. Stop Blaming Women Make Men The Issue".

Sgt Kinbacher said police had "no preconceptions" about whether her killer was a stranger or known to her.

(9NEWS)

"(But) if we're dealing with a potentially sexually-related murder, which commonsensically we may well be dealing with a male," he added.

Police have not revealed if she was sexually assaulted.

Sgt Kinbacher said Cordingley would have stood out to anyone around because of her long white-blonde, slightly purple hair and because she was in the company of her large dog.

"This is not a highly frequented area this particular area,” he said.

"People notice each other at Wangetti Beach.

"This is a shocking event; no young woman should go to a beach to walk the dog and this unfold for them."