Family demand answers after the mysterious death of a fit and healthy 24-year-old man which has left investigators baffled about what really happened

By ZAK WHEELER FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 14:58 GMT, 6 February 2025 | Updated: 15:03 GMT, 6 February 2025

A grieving partner and family have launched a desperate quest for answers after a man was found dead at a motel during a work trip. 

Shivang Pathania, 24, died while swimming laps in the pool at Perth’s Bentley Motel on January 18, a few hours after he was captured on CTTV working out in the gym.

The Melbourne man was on a two-week work trip.

Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened to Mr Pathania, whose death remains a mystery.

No one else was around the pool at the time.

By the time hotel staff discovered Mr Pathania’s body in the pool an hour later, it was too late to revive him.

‘What we’ve been told so far … is that he went to the gym, had a workout and sent a few of his friends some snaps from the pool,’ his brother Karan Kukreja told PerthNow.

The family had no idea what had happened until hours later when they rang the motel after Mr Pathania failed to make contact throughout the day, which was out of character.

Shivang Pathania’s family and partner (left) are demanding answers after the 24-year-old (right) died in Perth last month

Shivang Pathania was found dead Bentley Motel’s swimming pool last month

The mystery deepened when they finally got through to an after-hours receptionist, who refused to disclose any details.

‘They said, ‘for privacy reasons we can’t share the hotel guest’s details,’ but I said, ‘look, this guy is missing, we need to know where he is’,’ Mr Kukreja said. 

Mr Pathania’s family were finally given the heartbreaking news by Victoria Police nine hours after he died.

The family claims they’ve since been told by motel staff that Mr Pathania ‘didn’t look like a confident swimmer’.

But the family insists he was a strong swimmer and spent much of his time at the beach or pool while attending a wedding last year.

WA Police is not treating Mr Pathania’s death was not being treated as suspicious. 

His family and partner Erini Misirlakis want access to the motel’s CCTV to get answers about what happened in his final moments.

They claim that request has been denied by the motel, citing confidentiality reasons.

Mr Pathania’s partner Erini Misirlakis has been ‘extremely frustrated’ with the lack of transparency offered by motel staff and police.

Mr Pathania (pictured) was a strong swimmer, according to his family

Mr Pathania had a blood alcohol reading of 0.01 per cent at the time of his death, according to the toxicology report.

His partner claims she was by an investigator that he wasn’t intoxicated at the time and had Ibuprofen in his system to treat a headache.

Ms Misirlakis has been ‘extremely frustrated’ with the lack of transparency offered by motel staff and police. 

She keeps thinking of the day her partner died ‘over and over again’ and that she and his family ‘just want answers’.

It could take up to a year for Mr Pathania’s official cause of death to be determined. 

‘I understand privacy and confidentiality, but I’m sorry, when someone’s life is at stake and someone’s just asking for clarification, [there must be] a better way,’ Ms Misirlakis told the publication.

The motel is rated 4.1 out of five stars based on 341 Google reviews.

Room prices range from $170 to $200 per night. 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Bentley Motel for comment.

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Family demand answers after the mysterious death of a fit and healthy 24-year-old man which has left investigators baffled about what really happened

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