By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
POLICE are still awaiting forensic results after a dead body was found sprawled in the back seat of a burn-out car in a Eumemmerring reserve last Thursday night, in what is being treated as a murder.
Detective Senior Sergeant Stuart Bailey said on Friday the male body was left barely recognisable by the flames and that there was no doubt the “shocking crime” was a homicide.
It’s understood the owner of the 2011 SV6 red Holden Commodore is a 40-year-old Asian man from Doveton, who is known to police and has a “history of drug involvement”. But it is unknown whether the victim was the owner of the car. The owner has still not been located by police.
Emergency services were called to the fire at Olive Road Reserve by witnesses around 11.50pm on Thursday, where the car had been dumped next to a children’s playground and was concealed from Frawley Road by the Jan Bateman Pavilion.
Homicide detectives are awaiting results from an autopsy conducted on Friday afternoon after the body was extracted about 9am that morning.
“Given the nature of the injuries, we won’t be able to identify him through facial features,” Sen Sgt Bailey said.
“The only chances are perhaps his hands haven’t been totally burnt that we may get a fingerprint, but having a look at him, that’s probably unlikely.
“I think at this point in time we’re really relying on DNA and dental records to try and identify him.”
He said police did not know whether the victim was murdered at the reserve or at another location.
Houses in the adjacent Butler and Waygara streets back on to the reserve but no CCTV cameras are believed to be set up in the area.
“Firefighters were called at 11.46pm when a couple of neighbours actually saw the car on fire and heard an explosion,” Sen Sgt Bailey said.
“They (fireys) were here very quickly after that first phone call was made and so they were able to extinguish the car quite quickly.”
It’s believed another witness who drove into the reserve to investigate the blaze has given a statement to police.
Detectives have urged anyone who saw a person or car entering or leaving the reserve around 11.45pm to come forward.
“It is a shocking crime and it would have been extremely distressing for the CFA members,” Sen Sgt Bailey said.
Anyone with any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
