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Local man’s body found in ditch behind shopping centre weeks after he was reported missing

Police have confirmed the body of a man found behind a Queensland shopping centre is that of a local man who had been reported missing.

A spokeswoman from the Queensland Police said the body had been found about 9am. Picture: Isabella Magee
A spokeswoman from the Queensland Police said the body had been found about 9am. Picture: Isabella Magee

UPDATE

The search for a missing man in Hervey Bay has ended in tragedy with a grim discovery in a drain.

Police have confirmed the body found by council workers behind Stockland shopping centre was that of missing man Scott Taylor.

The 43-year-old had been officially reported missing on July 10 this year.

The body has been identified as Scott Taylor.
The body has been identified as Scott Taylor.

He had last been heard from in early June.

Picture: Isabella Magee
Picture: Isabella Magee

A spokeswoman from the Queensland Police said the body had been found about 9am.

It is understood a council worker made the grim discovery at the end of a bikeway.

Police are investigating after a body was found near Hervey Bay's Stockland Shopping Centre on Friday. Picture: Isabella Magee
Police are investigating after a body was found near Hervey Bay's Stockland Shopping Centre on Friday. Picture: Isabella Magee

Police told the Chronicle the body was located “facedown” in the water and had “multiple layers of clothes on”.

Items of clothing have also been found the ditch where the body was located.

QPS and QFES officers retrieved the body at about 11.10am.

Hervey Bay Detective Seargent Mick Polit. Picture: Isabella Magee
Hervey Bay Detective Seargent Mick Polit. Picture: Isabella Magee

Hervey Bay Detective Seargent Mick Polit said the body was found in long grass, which would explain why it hadn’t been located for “quite some time”.

“A body was found in the drain near Stockland shopping centre … we’re going through our processes now to identify him,” he said.

Clothing found at the scene. Picture: Isabella Magee
Clothing found at the scene. Picture: Isabella Magee

Officers are not treating the death as suspicious.

The age or gender of the person was not yet known.

Picture: Isabella Magee
Picture: Isabella Magee

It comes a week after the body of a 77 year old man was found in a submerged car at Maaroom Creek.

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/fraser-coast/body-found-in-ditch-behind-shopping-centre/news-story/db82c2fb5bcb8bbf4051ec73893941fe