Sunshine Coast detectives are asking the public for assistance as investigations continue into a man found dead in the Maroochy River last year.
Police were initially called to a site under the Talep (Maroochy River) Bridge on Thursday 30 November, 2023, after a member of the public discovered the body in the water, however the man is yet to be identified.
Officer in Charge Sunshine Coast District Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield said, as for Queensland, no reported missing persons match the man’s identity.
“We know someone knows this man – a family member, a friend, a boss or colleague,” he said.
“Detectives have deemed the death not suspicious however we continue to appeal for public assistance to help identify him so we can inform his family.
“Our main focus is returning him to those who knew and loved him.
“We’re not ruling anything out as he might be a local, or from interstate or overseas.”
Detectives have previously released CCTV footage of the man, believed to be captured on the day he passed away, wearing the clothes he was discovered in.
Detectives are continuing extensive investigations to identify the man, including DNA testing and working to match the internal surgical nails in the man’s right knee with a hospital.
DNA Ancestry testing will determine the man’s lineal descent to help detectives identify possible relatives or a place of origin.
Detectives have also sought assistance from the Australian Federal Police who have initiated enquiries internationally through the global INTERPOL network, and if required, will request the publication of an INTERPOL Black Notice.
A Black Notice contains the details of an unidentified deceased person which is circulated to 196 INTERPOL member countries and is used to facilitate checks on international missing person databases.
Anyone who recognises the man in the CCTV footage or has information to assist the identification process is urged to contact police.
