Alexandra Crime Investigation Unit detectives are appealing for public assistance to help solve a 53-year-old mystery.
Investigators are attempting to identify an unknown man who was located deceased in Buxton on Christmas Day, 1971.
A group of children were celebrating the holidays with a swim in the Steavenson River when they happened upon the man's body about 4.30pm.
The discovery occurred about 60 metres down-stream from the Maroondah Highway bridge and the man's remains were in an advanced stage of decomposition.
The man was believed to be aged in his 40s or 50s, about 183cm tall with dark, greying hair and a large build.
He was dressed in blue jeans, a white shirt, a vest with square white buttons and desert-style boots.
Investigators at the time scoured the scene but there was no trace of evidence to give detectives any insight into how the man's body came to wind up in the river; no signs of a fall, no personal property left behind or hints of a potential fishing mishap.
In the following days articles ran in each of the daily metropolitan papers and the story was substantially covered by the local press but no one came forward to identify the deceased.
Investigators turned to interstate law enforcement agencies, exploring the possibility that the man may have been a holiday visitor, but these efforts yielded no further clues as to who this man could have been.
Dental analysis determined the man had undergone extensive molar repairs, so the results were shared throughout the Australian dental profession but again the efforts were unsuccessful.
The unidentified remains were checked in line with many missing persons cases at the time, including the well-documented disappearance of unionist Alfred "The Ferret" Nelson whose car was recovered from the Yarra River in 1971, but whose body has never been found.
Due to particular documented body features of both men, the possibility of the Steavenson River body being that of the "The Ferret" has been ruled out.
An autopsy revealed the man had heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.
Such was the decomposition of the body that it was impossible to ascertain whether the man had sustained any physical injuries in the lead up to his death.
A coronial inquest was held on 16 August 1972 where the cause of death was determined to be consistent with drowning and the man was buried in a metropolitan grave where he remains unidentified.
Fast forward to 2025 and Alexandra Crime Investigation Unit detectives insist this case can still be solved.
There were several interesting items found on the man that police believe may hold the key to his identity.
In addition to the belt around his waist, the man was wearing a large, thick belt around his stomach which appeared to have been used to support his stomach muscles.
Along with a gold Unicorn watch, the man wore, on his left ring finger, a black signet ring which was inscribed "21.4.71 P.U.C.K".
Detectives are investigating the possibility that this inscription could have actually been the Cyrillic 'Р.И.С.К' meaning 'risk' in English.
In support of this theory the man was described at the time of the discovery as "continental migrant" and a Ukrainian youth camp was, and remains, 4km upstream from where the man's body was found.
Enquiries have been made with the Ukrainian embassy and the camp but have yet to yield any additional information as to the man's identity.
Investigators have released an image from the case file, believed to depict what the ring found on the man resembled.
Alexandra Crime Investigation Unit Detective Sergeant Flyn Loughlin said despite the decades that have passed this man can be identified.
"We are confident that there is someone out there who knows something that can help determine who this man was," he said.
"This may have occurred back in 1971 but this man was someone's son, he had a family, and there were those who loved him.
"Even the slightest bit of information could be the missing link we need to finally be able to provide some closure in this matter."
Anyone with information that could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
