Murder search for two men and a van

By BEN CAMERON

TWO men police believe hold vital clues following the suspicious death of a man in Bayles earlier this month were seen at a Narre Warren service station around the time of his demise.
Raymond Parker’s body was discovered by a friend at his Kooweerup-Longwarry Road property around 2.20pm on 13 January.
Police discovered Mr Parker’s home had been ransacked and it’s believed his wallet, credit cards and cash, along with a number of other yet to be identified items, were stolen.
Between 10 January and 12 January Mr Parker’s stolen credit cards were used to purchase and attempt to purchase items from a service station on Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road, Narre Warren and the Princes Highway in Pakenham.
Released CCTV vision and photos released by investigators shows two men together at the service stations, each time with a white van.
Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen McIntyre said it was still unclear what role the two men may have had in Mr Parker’s death.
“We are hoping that by speaking with these men it could give us some information that will assist the investigation into Ray’s death,” he said.
“Ray was last seen on the morning of 6 January and his death has occurred sometime between then and when he was located on 13 January.
“It appears he was assaulted and this could have incapacitated him, causing him to die several days after the initial assault.
“We also can’t rule out at this stage that the presence of drugs at his property is connected to his death in some way.
“We’re urging anyone with information regarding the identity of these men or the circumstances surrounding Ray’s death to come forward.”
Police were called to the property after a friend of Mr Parker raised the alarm.
Relatives had not been able to contact the 75-year-old around the time of his death.
Police also located a small hydroponic cannabis set up at the property.