Frankston teen Jodus Murphy plied with drugs after disappearance

The loved ones of a teenager found dead next to a river have been left traumatised by the horrific circumstances as they search for answers about how he died.

Jodus Murphy was found dead more than a month after he went missing.

A Frankston teenager who went missing just after his 18th birthday was plied with drugs in the days after he disappeared.

Mystery surrounds the final movements of 18-year-old Jodus Murphy, whose family is desperate for answers about the circumstances that led to his body being discovered next to the Goulburn River on June 14.

A passer-by discovered the teen, who has been remembered by loved ones as “the best kid”, among shrubbery next to the riverbed wearing just his underwear and some jewellery he was wearing when he left his mother’s Frankston home in the early hours of May 12.

Jodus’ sister-in-law Madison Maloney, who spent weeks co-ordinating search efforts to find the teen, said he was “such a good kid”.

18-year-old Jodus Murphy was found dead near the Goulburn River in June.

Police have appealed to the public for information about his final movements.

“He loved to draw and loved to rap. He loved being healthy always,” Ms Maloney told the Herald Sun.

“He loved working out with his little brother Izaiah and keeping body and mind fit. He was very, very intelligent, he’s just out of this world.”

It is understood Jodus spent the night of May 14 at the home of a woman and her teenage son after he approached them in town at Seymour, where he was given methamphetamines and xanax.

He left the property the following morning and approached a woman asking to use the Maps app on her phone.

A picture captured by the woman, believed to be the last image taken of Jodus when he was alive, showed him dressed in black tracksuits, a dark black and blue hoodie and carrying two bags.

“He didn’t have a bad bone in his body,” Ms Maloney said.

“He was such a good kid, so for him to just go out there to a place he’s never been before and stay at someone’s house that he’s not even met before, do drugs he’s never done before, it’s just so out of character.”

The last known image taken of Jodus.

Ms Maloney said Jodus’ loved ones were “traumatised and heartbroken” by the unclear circumstances surrounding his death.

“We can’t really grieve properly because we don’t know what happened before he passed away,” she said.

“Nothing has been found at all, absolutely nothing.”

Jodus, who suffered from mental health issues and was medicated for ADHD, celebrated his 18th birthday on April 27.

His personal belongings, such as the two small travel bags containing clothes, his passport, wallet and a distinctive water bottle fitted with a purifier he was known to carry often, have not been found.

The location along the Goulburn River where Jodus’ body was discovered on June 14.

His death is not being treated as suspicious.

CCTV captured the mystery man withdrawing money from an ATM using Jodus’ bank card on May 17, five days after he disappeared.

“Police are doing everything they can.

“We can’t really deal with it because we don’t know how he passed away. The circumstances are pretty horrible.”

Jodus’ loved ones do not believe he took his own life.

His death is not being treated as suspicious and police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

Detectives have appealed for anyone with information about the teen’s final movements to come forward.