Mysterious death may have been a result of being hit by a car, police say

Police have provided new details on the suspected cause of death of a 58-year-old man who was found critically wounded after trying to rob a bakery.

A man who died in mysterious circumstances on a busy Daylesford street after trying to rob a bakery could have been hit by a vehicle, police say.

The 58-year-old Creswick man died after a walker found him critically wounded on Bridport Street about 6.30am.

The circumstances surrounding how the man suffered his injuries remained unclear on Tuesday, but police now believe a vehicle could have struck him after he left the Muffins and More bakery about 6.10am.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said Major Collision Investigation Unit (MCIU) detectives were probing the death.

A crime scene set up in Daylesford on Thursday. Picture: Olivia Jenkins

His death is no longer being treated as suspicious.

Detectives are appealing for anyone who was on Bridport St early on Tuesday morning who saw the man behaving erratically to come forward.

Emergency crews were called after a passer-by found the man seriously injured on Bridport St in Daylesford about 6.30am on Tuesday.

The witness tried to revive the man but he died at the scene.

The new owner of Muffins and More on Albert St in Daylesford was preparing food for the day when the unknown man entered the store, which was accidentally left unlocked, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Juliette Scanlan, an employee of the store, said her Melbourne-based boss had taken over the store just days ago before she was confronted by the man in a “terrifying” ordeal.

“She seems to be pretty shaken up about the whole situation,” Ms Scanlan said.

“She would have been there making food, muffins and things, and obviously this guy’s seen an opportunity and tried to come in.

“Something’s happened, he’s run off … and sort of whatever has happened from there is a bit of a mystery.

“It’s very, very unexpected because you they’re not open. So it’s sort of like you’re caught by surprise when someone walks through the door and they’re not a very familiar face … pretty terrifying.

“She’s still very new to the job so it’s pretty scary for getting started in this new position.

“I think she’ll recover, hopefully really quickly.”

Ms Scanlan said she felt for the man’s family amid the mystery that surrounded his unexplained death.

“I just hope that whoever’s family he came from, I hope they’re all okay,” she said.

“It’s certainly a bit scary that it sort of ended this way.

“It’s a scary moment for everyone at work.

“Hopefully nothing like this happens again.”

One witness described hearing some commotion outside their home, including the sound of glass shattering.

How the man sustained his fatal injuries remains unclear.

A man has died under suspicious circumstances after a passer-by discovered him seriously injured on a street in Daylesford @theheraldsunhttps://t.co/we4fODRlTZpic.twitter.com/4tc7YcjBjy

— Olivia Jenkins (@byoliviajenkins) October 17, 2023

Sompit Williams, who lives nearby, said she heard an argument break out before a screeching car “took off”.

She described the man lying on the ground as aged in his 40s or 50s.

“We saw the man lying on the ground and a couple of people (who were around) stopped and rang the police,” she said.

Ms Williams said a man who was exercising stopped to help the injured man.

She could not determine what sort of vehicle sped away from the scene.

Ms Williams said there had been several robberies in the area recently.

“I should put cameras up myself,” she said.

The intersection at Albert and Bridport streets was cordoned off by police for much of the day.

Forensic detectives could be seen gathering bags of evidence, including a coffee cup and what appeared to be a dark green puffer jacket, which was on the ground.

A high-vis jacket that was found nearby was also seized.

Police reopened Bridport St and cleared the crime scene about 2.30pm.

The alleged robbery comes several weeks after a separate offender allegedly robbed a nearby Bakers Delight store while brandishing a butter knife.