Floating body in creek not foul play
POLICE have ruled out foul play as the cause of death for a Townsville man whose body was found floating in the Ross Creek last weekend.
Following an investigation and autopsy, Townsville police believe the death of a 48-yearold man found on Sunday afternoon was not suspicious.
It’s understood the man likely fell into the creek and drowned.
His body was spotted floating in mangroves by a passerby on a boat about 5pm on Sunday.
It was retrieved hours later by specialist officers from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service as it was in a dangerous location. A post mortem was conducted during the week. Townsville Detective Acting Inspector Dean Cavanagh said there was nothing suspicious to consider.
“Even though it’s deemed not suspicious we will continue with the investigation in an attempt to determine his movements prior to being located,” Inspector Cavanagh said.
“We will present a detailed brief to the coroner.”
The man had a gash to his head when pulled from the creek, with police not ruling out whether it was caused by a boat propeller.
“The injury to the head didn’t lead to his death, and it could have been from a range of sources.”
Inspector Cavanagh said his thoughts were with the man’s family. “Detectives are tracking down all relevant information to track down his movements (prior to his death). Obviously we want to try and get as much detail as possible to offer some closure to the family.”
A report will be prepared for the coroner.