Dylan Bartlett’s (pictured) body was found in an air duct on Monday afternoon
Three years before Dylan Bartlett’s body was mysteriously discovered in an air duct, leaving his shattered friends and family searching for answers, his close friend was found dead face down in a public drain.
The body of Mr Bartlett, 23, was pulled from the duct inside an Adelaide shopping centre toilet block on Monday, seven weeks after he was first reported missing.
The unusual circumstances surrounding his death – which police believe is not suspicious – share eerie similarities with that of Mr Bartlett’s mate, Lochlan Brodie Mortimer-Shearer.
The 18-year-old was found face down in about 15 centimetres of water in a drain in the Dry Creek salt fields in South Australia, 24 days after he went missing in 2016.
He and an unnamed friend had been involved in a high speed police chase after they stole two Nissan Skylines.
After the teenager’s death, Mr Bartlett uploaded a tribute to Facebook, where he said he would ‘never forget’ his friend.
‘Thinking of you always cuz, still till (sic) today can’t believe you’re gone. You’ll always be remembered and never forgotten,’ the post read.
Lochlan Brodie Mortimer-Shearer (pictured), 18, died in 2016 after he and a friend stole two Nissan Skylines and led police on a chase at speeds of more than 160 km/h
Court documents say Mr Mortimer-Shearer crashed into a divider on the Port Expressway, drove on the wrong side of the road and eventually collided with the Salisbury Highway Bridge.
‘It is unclear exactly how Mr Mortimer-Shearer got to the point at which he was located,’ counsel assisting Stephen Plummer said in his opening at the inquest into his death.
‘The logical conclusion is that (he) fled from the stolen Nissan Skyline into the salt fields after the collision.’
A statement from Mr Mortimer-Shearer’s sister described her brother as ‘off his head on crack’ on the night of the crash.
‘He was scaring me… he was pretty bad and was buzzing,’ the statement said.
The body of Dylan Bartlett (pictured) was found in a shopping centre toilet block air-duct
Mr Bartlett posted a tribute on Facebook to his friend, Lochlan Brodie Mortimer-Shearer (pictured) using the above image
Three years on, Mr Bartlett was found dead in equally baffling circumstances on Monday.
The 23-year-old was last seen on the morning of September 9 at his home in Noarlunga Downs – 30km from Adelaide.
In a since deleted post, Mr Bartlett’s aunt said she truly believed his disappearance would end differently.
‘Sadly, this is not the way we thought this would end, Dyl,’ she said.
‘You were constantly on our minds. We were given the devastating news on Tuesday that police had found your body.
‘How heartbreaking to think you died alone and no doubt in pain.’
South Australian police said they’re still trying to figure out how Mr Bartlett’s body came to be in the vent.
Mr Bartlett was last seen on the morning of September 9 at his home in Noarlunga Downs – 30km from Adelaide
Mr Bartlett’s friend Peter Anis told Daily Mail Australia he questioned how long the body had been in the air duct.
‘We are still so clueless and we have many questions that are still yet to be answered,’ he said, before concluding ‘a lot of things just don’t match up.
He said he had heard reports claiming Mr Bartlett’s body had been in the air duct for weeks, but found it hard to believe it would have gone unnoticed that long.
‘How is it possible for a body to be in a vent for weeks and yet no one of the public could smell the body?’ he asked.
Mr Anis is hoping time will shed light on the confusing situation, and said he would remember Mr Bartlett as a ‘good friend’ who always had everybody’s back.
‘Whenever I saw him out it was always hugs and a long chat… he would always stick up for his mates,’ he said.
‘It really hurts because he had so many mates that would have dropped anything in a heartbeat to make sure he had someone by his side.’
Mr Bartlett’s aunt also commended his stepfather, Troy Wisman, for all the effort he put into parenting over the course of 21 years.
‘Troy, you were the absolute best step-dad to Dylan for the past 21 years and were always there for him,’ she said.
Mr Wisman was seen at the Noarlunga Homemaker Centre on Wednesday where he lay red and white roses in memory of Mr Bartlett.
Another friend, Renae Coombe told Daily Mail Australia that he was a ‘friendly, happy person who was always so lovely’.
Police were called to Noarlunga Homemaker Centre at around 4.40pm on Monday after a body was found in a toilet block’s air duct.
Mr Bartlett’s stepfather Troy Wisman (pictured) was seen laying flowers at the sight of where the 23-year-old’s body was found
Officers identified the body as Mr Bartlett’s in a statement on Wednesday.
‘Yesterday I got a phone call and that was it, he was found,’ Mr Wisman told Nine News.
He broke down in tears as he continued to speak of his stepson.
‘I don’t think he was trying to break in, I think he was hiding. I’m not entirely sure [why he was in the air-duct],’ Mr Wisman said.
He said that was just his opinion and the investigation is ongoing.
A report is being prepared for the coroner.
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Mr Bartlett’s body was found in an air-duct (pictured) after he was missing for seven weeks