Human bone mystery solved

A leg bone found in the Gold Coast Seaway two months ago has been identified as belonging to a local teenage girl who has been missing for more than two years.

Katelyn Hyland disappeared while swimming at The Spit in February 2012 when she and a 23-year-old man were caught in a rip.

The man was rescued after clinging to a jetty pylon but search crews were never able to find Katelyn, then 16, despite days of searching.

The leg bone, found by a spear fisherman in 10m of water at the mouth of the Seaway in April, presented a mystery for authorities, who began conducting DNA tests to identify the remains against profiles of missing people.

A breakthrough came last week and Katelyn's mother, Karen Kleinschmidt, was notified.

"It just means so much to me to have that final closure and be able to say goodbye," she told Nine News.

"It was sad to grieve in that kind of deeper way, that you've actually found her, a part of her. (But) it was definitely a relief."