A badly decomposed body which was bundled up and dumped on the side of a major road has been identified as Wachira ‘Mario’ Phetmang.
The 33-year-old Thai national had been living in Australia for the last 10 years, most recently at Hurstville in Sydney’s south.
Mr Phetmang’s body was wrapped in plastic material and covered with a mattress protector.
He had been seriously assaulted and died of blunt force trauma.
Officers from the State Crime Command’s Homicide Squad established Strike Force Sinder to investigate the circumstances of Mr Phetmang’s murder, and are appealing for fresh information from the public.
A badly decomposed body which was wrapped up and dumped on the side of a major road has been identified as Wachira ‘Mario’ Phetmang (pictured)
The 33-year-old Thai national had been living in Australia for the last 10 years, most recently at Hurstville in Sydney’s south (pictured is the murder victim at a service station – the last time he was seen)
Mr Phetmang’s body was discovered on Homebush Bay Drive at Sydney’s Olympic Park by a passing truck driver at about 10.30pm on June 6.
The driver reportedly pulled over in bad weather and saw the wrapped-up body, which was taken to a morgue for an autopsy and forensic tests.
‘A post mortem examination revealed Mario had been seriously assaulted, and his cause of death was blunt-force trauma,’ New South Wales Police said.
Detectives have revealed Mr Phetmang was last seen at a service station at South Hurstville about 7.30pm on May 25.
Police are making a fresh appeal for information about the murder victim’s last movements (pictured is Mr Phetmang)
Detectives have revealed Mr Phetmang was last seen at a service station at South Hurstville about 7.30pm on May 25 (pictured)
He had been in the Sydney CBD and the Guildford area during the day, and Homicide Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Scott Cook said police hope the release of CCTV footage from that evening will lead to a breakthrough.
‘At this stage, we do not know where Mario went after leaving the service station, and we are appealing for information about his movements from then until his body was located almost two weeks later,’ said Det Supt Cook.
‘We are particularly appealing to motorists who have dash cameras to review their footage to see if they may have filmed the vehicle during that time.
‘This includes a re-appeal to motorists who travelled in the Sydney Olympic Park area during that time to double check their vision for anything that may assist with our inquiries.’
Mr Phetmang was travelling in a silver 2004 Hyundai Terracan, with Victorian registration URK109.
He was travelling in a silver 2004 Hyundai Terracan, with Victorian registration URK109 (pictured)