Body found in Hobart search for missing Victorian man Jarrod Davies
UPDATED: A missing Victorian man believed to have drowned in the River Derwent has been described by his family as “fit, healthy and used to the water”.
Tasmania
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A MISSING Victorian man called his father moments before he is believed to have drowned in the River Derwent.
Jarrod Davies, 27, was last seen heading towards the Hobart waterfront after leaving the Observatory Bar nightclub at Franklin Wharf about 1am on Sunday.
A body, which is yet to be formally identified, was discovered in the river about 30m south of Elizabeth Street Pier at 12.45pm on Tuesday.
Up to 10 police divers ramped up their search efforts in the area after finding a phone, confirmed as belonging to Mr Davies, submerged nearby on Monday night.
Acting Inspector Darren Latham said the autopsy could take a “number of days” but police believed the body was that of Mr Davies based on the description provided by his family.
“We were obviously holding out hope that the phone had fallen in the water and Mr Davies was somewhere else,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we located the body in the water at 12.45pm this afternoon (Tuesday).”
Mr Davies was visiting Tasmania with his father to undertake a marine-related course.
His mother arrived in the state on Sunday night after the alarm was raised over the whereabouts of her son.
“I have been in touch with the family every couple of hours, even if we had no information, just to make them aware of what we were doing, what we knew and what we didn’t know,” Acting Inspector Latham said.
“I have spoken to them to advise them that we have located the body. They are obviously devastated and I will maintain contact with them throughout this process.”
Acting Inspector Latham would not reveal any details but confirmed Mr Davies made a final phone call to his dad – who had returned to their central Hobart hotel earlier in the evening – about 1.20am on Sunday.
“After a few hours the dad realised ‘hang on, he’s not coming home’,” Acting Inspector Latham said.
Mr Davies had been working as a diving instructor in Fiji since June 2018, according to social media.
Diving videos and photos with the hashtag #livingthedream appear on his Facebook page.
Acting Inspector Latham said Mr Davies, originally of Leongatha in South Gippsland, was described by his family as “a young man that was fit, healthy and used to the water”.
Foul play has been ruled out but the police investigation will continue to focus on Mr Davies’ movements inside and after leaving the Observatory Bar.
“At this stage, there’s no indication of any person being involved in this man’s death directly,” Acting Inspector Latham said.
“CCTV has been the thing that has helped us as we haven’t had any witnesses come forward.
“We don’t have a specific idea about what occurred exactly, we’re still working through that.”
In November, talented cardiothoracic surgical trainee Robert Xu, 32, drowned in water off Victoria Dock – less than 500m from Elizabeth Street Pier.
Anyone with information is asked to call Tasmania Police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000
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