NT Police arrest 21, 20 and 17-year-old over suspected homicide of Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak

Three Alice Springs men – one of which is aged just 17 – have been arrested by NT Police in relation to the tragic New Year’s Day death of a Melbourne teenager. Latest from police.

Yoal Deng Gatluak was found dead near Alice Springs on New Year’s Day.

Two men and a teenager have been arrested over the suspected homicide of a young Melbourne man who was found dead on a road on the outskirts of Alice Springs.

Yiel ‘Yoal’ Deng Gatluak’s body was found on Undoolya Road, 10km east of Alice Springs on New Year’s Day.

The 19-year-old’s discovery sparked a major crime investigation, with his death immediately treated as suspicious.

Yiel Gatluak is being remembered as a "good bloke full of jokes and laughs" after his body was found on the outskirts of Alice Springs.

Nine days after the grim discovery, Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst confirmed a 21 and 20-year-old man, and 17-year-old boy had been arrested from Alice Springs homes on Monday.

“Each of those persons remain in police custody and have not yet been charged,” Mr Wurst said.

“I cannot give you a definitive timeline, and what those actual charges will be also remains part of the investigation team’s remit.”

He said the investigation was being treated as a homicide, and expected “death of a person charges”.

NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst said it was believed that the three men and Mr Gatluak knew each other before his death.

Mr Wurst said it was believed that the three men and Mr Gatluak knew each other before his death.

However, he would not confirm if the three arrested were from the same community.

Mr Gatluak hailed from a Melbourne African community before he moved to Alice Springs two years ago.

Mr Wurst said police were in communication with the 19-year-old’s grieving family, who travelled to say farewell to the teenager they described as “energetic”, “humble” and “hardworking”.

A vigil was held at the site where the body of 19-year-old Yoal Deng Gatluak was found on New Year’s Day.

However the police top brass hit out at the “fear mongering” and “misinformation” which he claimed emerged in the eight-day period between the suspected homicide and the recent arrests.

“It’s rather unhelpful when it suggests that the Alice Springs community are living in fear because of this particular incident,” Mr Wurst said.

The parents of 19-year-old Yiel Deng Gatluak, whose body was found on a dirt road near Alice Springs on New Year's Day, have begged for answers surrounding his death. Supplied: Mary Riek

“This matter is our top priority and we will continue to work toward resolution in the near future.

“We have interacted with the community (to) ensure there’s been no unrest or concern from that community.”

Mr Wurst said forensic and autopsy analysis were still assessing the 19-year-old’s cause of death, however he confirmed did not sustain “penetrative” wounds.

He said a number of items found in the area around Mr Gatluak body were seized as part of the forensic case, as well as a 2017 black Ford Ranger Wildtrak taken in by police on Thursday.

Mr Wurst said the investigation was ongoing, and appealed for anyone with additional information to come forward.