- Body of a man found in an inner Sydney housing commission on Sunday
- Mark Russell, 53, had been living in his flat for 18 months before his death
- There was yelling and loud noises from his flat the night before, neighbour said
The body of a man was found in his inner Sydney housing commission apartment on Sunday after a ‘loud night of drinking and yelling’, neighbours claim.
Mark Russell, 53, was discovered at 11.30am on Sunday in his flat on Clisdell Street, Surry Hills.
Mr Russell, known on the streets as ‘Sharky Mark’, had been living inside the grungy housing block for less than two years.
Homicide police were seen searching a nearby light rail construction site and neighbouring letterboxes for a possible murder weapon on Monday morning.
The body of Mark Russell, 53, was found in his inner flat on Clisdell Street, Surry Hills
The Daily Telegraph interviewed Mr Russell for a profile in a collection of stories on Sydney’s ‘forgotten’ people in 2016.
Mark was born in Goulburn and grew up in a broken family. He was abandoned by his dad and his mum was hospitalised after a nervous breakdown when he was very young.
He and his sister lived between orphanages and he was later sent to a foster family.
Mark ran away from home at 16 and resorted to smoking marijuana and drinking, according to the publication.
Neighbour Mike told the Daily Telegraph there was often ‘yelling, screaming and drunken parties’ at Mark’s flat.
‘He had a drinking problem and was quite loud,’ he added.
The Surry Hills apartment block has been cordoned off and homicide police are investigating at the scene.
Mark Russell was found in his inner Sydney housing commission apartment late on Sunday after what neighbours allege was a loud night of drinking and loud noises