3 days ago
Man whose body was found in Maroochy River identified after 14-month global search
A man whose identity puzzled Queensland detectives for more than a year after his body was found in a Sunshine Coast river has been laid to rest.
Members of the public discovered the body of Victorian man Alexander Marinis in the Maroochy River in November 2023.
He did not have a wallet or any identity documents.
Police ruled out foul play but despite making several public appeals, Mr Marinis's identity remained unknown for more than a year.
Earlier this year, detectives made a breakthrough.
A Centrelink worker saw his face in an ABC story and remembered an interaction with him.
That recollection was the crucial first step that led police to identify Mr Marinis.
His body was brought home for a funeral in Melbourne last month, where he was farewelled by friends and family.
Mr Marinis was 47.
On Monday morning Detective Senior Sergeant Robert Lowry confirmed someone met Mr Marinis while they were working, recognised him in the public appeals, and contacted police.
He said from there, police were able to confirm a name after more than a year of searching for answers.
"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," Detective Senior Sergeant Lowry said.
Detective Senior Sergeant Lowry said Mr Marinis's death had been deemed non-suspicious and a report would be made to the coroner.
"While this is a tragic circumstance, I'm pleased that we've been able to identify this man and give some closure to his family," he said.
"It has been a lengthy and in-depth investigation spanning a number of years."
Mr Marinis's mother, Maree Bergamo, said she was devastated to learn of her son's death when she was contacted by authorities earlier this year.
His death came after he gradually, then completely withdrew, from his family 10 years ago.
"I found out that he had passed on February 13, some 14 months after his death.
"It was distressing to know that he had been deceased for such a long time."
The case stirred strong public interest, with members of the public trying to help identify Mr Marinis in the weeks and months after his body was found.
One person reported that a wallet with a driver's licence resembling the police photo was found in Coolum, but officers said it wasn't the right person.
There were no matches to any missing persons reports across the country, and a global appeal through Interpol also failed to yield any results.
The Australian Federal Police tried advanced genetic DNA testing but could not find a match across international databases.
As a child, Mr Marinis was a talented athlete and still holds five records in discus, long jump and shot put at Collingwood Little Athletics club dating back to 1986.
A former classmate said he was gifted and excelled in everything he did, particularly in sports, due to his height and athleticism.
After withdrawing from his family, Mr Marinis moved to the small town of Yarram in Victoria's Gippsland region in 2015.
He rented a home through a real estate agent and kept to himself, living a quiet life.
Mr Marinis was known to politely greet people he walked past.
A supermarket employee remembers seeing him frequent the store, but noted he always used the self-service check-out.
Ms Bergamo had no way of contacting her son and didn't know where he lived.
She hired a private investigator who eventually tracked him down.
But when she went and knocked on his door, she was heartbroken when he wouldn't open up.
Ms Bergamo exchanged phone numbers with a neighbour, who periodically provided reassuring updates.
One day in October 2023, the neighbour called Ms Bergamo to say Mr Marinis was packing up to move to Queensland.
Feeling concerned, she rang the real estate agent who said Mr Marinis had vacated his home, made his final rent payment and left without providing a forwarding address.
Last year, Ms Bergamo hired another private investigator but they failed to find any trace of Mr Marinis.
What she didn't know yet was that just weeks after moving to Queensland, he had died.
At his funeral, Mr Marinis was remembered as an independent, intelligent, decent and talented person who was much-loved by his family.
Ms Bergamo said her son would be deeply missed and she shared her pain at his decision to cut himself off from family.
"Alex was a loner sadly," she said.
"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.
Little is known about Mr Marinis's final movements or his state of mind in the weeks before he died.
Police don't know how he travelled to Queensland, but they don't believe he drove a car.
Phone records show he made two phone calls to emergency accommodation providers soon after he arrived on the Sunshine Coast.
After that, his phone went dark, leading police to believe he may have lost his device.
The only possessions that have ever been found were discovered on the bank of the Maroochy River about a week after Mr Marinis's body was found.
The belongings included a distinctive APT backpack, a shoe, a water bottle, a jacket and — crucially — a Bunnings receipt.
Police then obtained CCTV footage from the hardware store of a tall man wearing the same clothes, backpack and knee braces on November 27, three days before his body washed up.
No-one came forward at the time despite repeated appeals from Queensland authorities.
Ms Bergamo said her son had lost all his identity documents and he was likely homeless.
