The police have finally identified the man found dead in the Maroochy River in November 2023 as Alexander Marinis.

Marinis, who had moved to the Sunshine Coast from Victoria in 2023, was found deceased that same year on 30 November.

Police deemed the death as non-suspicious, having spent past 14 months working to identify the man which they finally confirmed this past Monday.

Queensland Police stated the man’s identity was confirmed after a Centrelink staff member recognised his face from an ABC article.

“Great lengths were taken to identify the man over this period: door knocking, DNA testing, some work with Interpol around some surgical artefacts in the man’s knee, which resulted in worldwide inquiries,” Queensland Police Detective Senior Sergeant Robert Lowry told media.

“The final piece of the puzzle was the DNA from the family, which led to a positive identification of the male.”

Detective Yowry thanked those who assisted in the search to identify Marinis.

“I sincerely thank the media and the public for their assistance in this investigation,” he said.

“A person, who had previously dealt with the man in a professional capacity in Maroochydore, recognised the man after seeing an appeal on the news and contacted police to share the information. This information led us to being able to confirm his identify through DNA testing and contact the man’s family.”

Detective Yowry also thanked the detectives that “worked on the investigation with such perseverance and tenacity”.

The 47-year-old’s remains were returned to his family.

His mother Maree Bergamo said she learnt of her son’s death on February 13, roughly 14 months after his remains were found in the river.

She said her son was an “intelligent, decent and loyal person” who frequently preferred to be on his own.

She explained that he cut himself off from family, prompting her to hire a private investigator to track him down.

He moved to Queensland and died a few weeks later.

Police stated that he was laid to rest in a private funeral last month.

“Alex was a loner, sadly,” Bergamo said at his funeral, per the ABC.

“Alex will always be remembered as a kind, decent and law-abiding person…It’s tragic that he didn’t seek help.”