‘Final piece of the puzzle': Man whose body found in Maroochy River identified as Alexander Marinis

News.com.au

6 hours ago

An unknown man whose remains were found in a river on the Sunshine Coast more than a year ago has been identified as Victorian man Alexander Marinis.
On November 30 2023, about 8am, members of the public were walking down the Maroochy River when they saw the body of a man floating in the water under the Talep Bridge.
Police were called to the scene and deemed the death as non-suspicious.
A year-and-a-half after the man's remains were located, his identity remained unknown – until now.
On Monday, Queensland Police confirmed the identity of the man as Alexander Marinis, 47, from Yarram in Victoria. He did not have any identification documents or a wallet at the time of his death.
The man had no identifiable markers such as tattoos, dental implants or piercings.
Police divers searched the river for any clues leading to the man's identity.
On the bank of the river, police discovered some of the man's belongings, including a water bottle, jacket, shoes, an ATP-branded backpack and a receipt for a purchase made at a Bunnings three days before his remains were found.
CCTV footage revealed the man purchased items at the hardware shop using a brown wallet that was not recovered at the scene.
Police confirmed the man's identity was confirmed after a Centrelink staff member recognised his face from an ABC article.
'Great lengths were taken to identify the man over this period: door knocking, DNA testing, some work with Interpol around some surgical artefacts in the man's knee, which resulted in worldwide inquiries,' Queensland Police Detective Senior Sergeant Robert Lowry told reporters.
'The final piece of the puzzle was the DNA from the family, which led to a positive identification of the male.'
The man's death has been deemed non-suspicious, and the 47-year-old's remains were returned to his family.
Detective Yowry thanked those who assisted in the search to identify Mr Marinis.
'I sincerely thank the media and the public for their assistance in this investigation,' he said.
'A person, who had previously dealt with the man in a professional capacity in Maroochydore, recognised the man after seeing an appeal on the news and contacted police to share the information.
'This information led us to being able to confirm his identify through DNA testing and contact the man's family.
'I also want to thank the detectives that worked on this investigation with such perseverance and tenacity.'
His mother Maree Bergamo said she learnt of her son's death on February 13, about 14 months after his remains were found in the river.
She said her son was an 'intelligent, decent and loyal person' who frequently preferred to be on his own.
She explained that he cut himself off from family, prompting her to hire a private investigator to track him down.
He moved to Queensland and died a few weeks later.
He was laid to rest in a private funeral last month, police said.
'Alex was a loner, sadly,' Ms Bergamo said at his funeral, per the ABC.
'Alex will always be remembered as a kind, decent and law-abiding person.
'He was a non-drinker and non-smoker. Alex was always loved and adored by my family.
'It's tragic that he didn't seek help.'