Missing man feared dead Sergio Cuesta lived in lavish city apartment

A Colombian man who is feared to have been murdered lived in an expensive Melbourne city apartment before his mysterious disappearance.

Colombian national Sergio Cuesta has been feared murdered.

A Colombian student missing and feared murdered in Melbourne was living in an opulent city apartment tower.

Sergio Cuesta had been a resident of Mansion Apartments at 83 Queens Rd in the period before his disappearance on September 16 last year.

The tower has sweeping views of the city, St Kilda and Port Phillip Bay and boasts a luxurious rooftop pool.

The apartments command prices of around $750,000 and rents of more than $500 per week.

It is unclear how Mr Cuesta, who was on an expired student visa, afforded such living arrangements.

“How does a bloke on a student visa live in a place like that,” one source pondered.

Police revealed last week that he was on bail over drug charges at the time he vanished.

Mr Cuesta had a registered ABN for more than six years before it was cancelled in late November.

A key element of the missing persons squad’s investigation centres on his final movements.

Mr Cuesta was last seen at Jabiru Drive in Chelsea Heights after a mate dropped him off at the home about 8.15pm

Missing man Sergio Cuesta had been living at this Queens Rd apartment tower before he vanished in September. Picture: Realestate.com.au

The Queens Rd apartments boast stunning city views. Picture: Chisholm & Gamon

The pair had been dining at a city restaurant celebrating another friend’s birthday earlier in the evening.

Mr Cuesta then took a phone call and, without explanation, ordered his mate to drive him to the south eastern suburb and drop him off.

This was the last time he would be seen by friends.

A worried female associate — who had been at the birthday dinner party with him — reported him missing five days later as her attempts to contact Mr Cuesta were unsuccessful.

The Colombian man’s family also grew concerned as they had not heard from him for days.

He would speak with his mother back home almost daily.

Potentially crucial CCTV footage from nearby homes in Chelsea Heights continues to be analysed by officers.

Detectives continue to investigate Mr Cuesta’s trip to Queensland in the weeks before he vanished, trying to piece together where he stayed, who he visited and the reasons surrounding his visit.

Authorities manning the nation’s borders also confirmed he had not left the country.

Mount Eliza man Michael Frankland, 49, was on Wednesday charged with Mr Cuesta’s murder.

A Cranbourne man, 48, was also arrested but was later released pending further inquiries.

Mr Cuesta’s body is yet to be recovered and the investigation remains ongoing.