Man found dead in Maroochy River in 2023 identified

The identity of a man who was found dead in a Sunshine Coast river, which baffled police and sparked an international search, has been uncovered.

Police tracked down and released CCTV of the man whose body was was found in a Sunshine Coast river in November 2023, before launching an appeal to identify him. Picture - QLD Police.

The identity of a man who was found dead in a Sunshine Coast river, which baffled police and sparked an international search, has been determined.

Detective senior sergeant Robert Lowry from the Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch said the man found in the Maroochy River in November 2023 had been identified as 47-year-old man from Yarram in Victoria.

It is understood the man, who was found in the water near Talep Bridge by a member of the public, is Alexander Marinis.

This was the last sighting of a man before his body was found in the Maroochy River on November 30.

Detective senior sergeant Lowry said a man who knew the 47-year-old through a professional capacity had come forward to police.

“DNA was then obtained from the man’s family,” detective senior sergeant Lowry said.

Detective senior sergeant Lowry said the 47-year-old moved to Queensland less than a year before his body was found in the river.

“We know the man moved from Victoria to the Sunshine Coast in 2023 and he was found deceased in the Maroochy River,” Lowry said.

Detective Senior Sergeant Robert Lowry, Sunshine Coast. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Detective senior sergeant Lowry said the man’s death was non-suspicious and thanked those who responded to public appeals for information about the incident.

The investigation into the man, which spanned more than 18 months, involved inquiries through INTERPOL and hospitals to match details with the man’s knee surgery.

Originally published as Man found dead in Maroochy River in 2023 identified