The final minutes of Julian Neuendorf’s life were horrifyingly violent.
After he was viciously beaten and shot, his lifeless body was dumped in the Logan River.
The Mitchelton father had left his young family and driven to the Logan Reserve boat ramp under the cover of darkness, apparently to meet someone he knew for a drug deal.
CCTV footage shows the 38-year-old arrive at the reserve at 8.29pm on November 1, 2012.
Seven minutes later, a car was filmed leaving the scene.
At 9.15am the following day, Neuendorf’s bullet-ridden body was found by a local fisherman floating in the muddy waters of the Logan River.
His killer, or killers as police suspect, have never been found.
The mystery vehicle and those missing seven minutes have plagued detectives Darren Reilly and Aleisha Young since they began working the case, Operation Kilo Alaska, in 2012.
This week, the Logan detectives made a fresh plea for information.
“Someone knows exactly what happened. It’s just getting those people to co-operate,” Det Young said.
“We still think it’s solvable.”
In the months after the murder, there were a flood of calls to CrimeStoppers.
Police discovered Neuendorf was an armed robber in the 1990s when he was known by the nickname “Pixie” and had a history of violence.
At the time of his death he was facing drugs charges and had been linked to ice and heroin.
In 2013, detectives uncovered more pieces to the puzzle when they found Neuendorf was linked to several safe deposit boxes containing almost $1m in cash.
Almost $750,000 was unearthed at a safety deposit box at Reserve Vault Australia in Brisbane’s CBD while a Storage King shed at Cleveland contained $431,805.
Also hidden in the shed were a double-barrel shotgun, 9mm pistol, ammunition and two Breitling watches.
Dealing with the shady underworld Neuendorf occupied has been the biggest hurdle for police, as most people connected to him have been hesitant to talk.
Over the years, the detectives have had a gnawing feeling that more than two people were at the boat ramp that night.
“It doesn’t seem likely that one person could have done it,” Det Reilly said.
“(Neuendorf) was fit and tall and it would be unlikely that he could have been overpowered and placed in the water by one person.”
The detectives said they felt it was important to solve the case, not just for Neuendorf’s family, but also for the community.
“At the end of the day his criminal activity aside, he’s still a member of the community, he was a husband, a son, a father,” Det Young said.
“So the motivation to solve it is still there.”
“It doesn’t matter what he did, or why he did it, he didn’t deserve that,” Det Reilly said.
In 2013, police offered a $250,000 reward for any information that helps solve the Neuendorf
murder as well as indemnity for anyone not directly involved in his death.
That reward still stands.
Last 14 hours of Julian Neuendorf’s life
November 1, 2012: Julian Neuendorf leaves his Mitchelton home at 7.13pm and drives his black 2007 Ford Falcon GT to Logan Reserve boat ramp at Henderson Park.
7.47pm: An unidentified vehicle is captured on CCTV arriving at the boat ramp
8.29pm: Neuendorf arrives at the boat ramp to allegedly meet someone he knew for a drug deal
8.36pm: The unidentified vehicle leaves
November 2, 2012: At 9.15am a local fisherman finds Neuendorf’s body in the Logan River near the Logan Reserve boat ramp
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