A 55-year-old man has been charged with murder after a mother-of-three was found on the street outside her Gold Coast home following an attack police described as "brutal".
Police say the 51-year-old woman suffered serious head injuries inflicted by a weapon that is yet to be found.
The man, understood to be the wife's ex-husband, was arrested by police and charged with her murder on Monday afternoon.
The woman's three children - aged in their early teens to early 20s - are believed to have been inside their Worongary house at the time of the attack on Sunday night.
Police believe the incident occurred in the street, about 300m away from the woman's home.
A neighbour found the woman's body in Arthur Payne Court, in the Gold Coast Hinterland, when she arrived home from work around 11.15pm on Sunday night.
Almost three hours later her ex-husband was found in nearby bushland suffering minor injuries.
The man is expected to face Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
Detective Inspector Marc Hogan described the alleged murder as "brutal".
Det Insp Hogan said there had been no prior reports of domestic violence between the pair, who were married but had been separated "for some time".
"I've been there and I've seen the deceased and it would appear to me, and I'm not a medical person, that the injuries are significant, which obviously contributed or caused that person's death," he said.
"We've yet to determine the full circumstances of what went on, this is obviously a very, very serious matter."
The usually quiet street, immersed in bushland, was a hive of activity on Monday as the Gold Coast SES was assisted by drones and the dog squad searching for the weapon.
National domestic violence helpline: 1800 737 732 or 1800RESPECT. In an emergency call triple-zero.
