An 87-year-old Noosa man died after he was brutally assaulted in Noosa Woods on the Hastings Street boardwalk about 6am Sunday morning while he was going for a morning walk.
Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Inspector Chris Toohey said a 27-year-old Queensland man was taken into custody, without incident, soon after, about 100 metres away on the beachfront and a crime scene was declared.
He said circumstances brought the 27-year-old man to police attention and he was helping police with their inquiries, but no charges had been laid.
The men are not known to each other and the 27-year-old man is not a local resident, he said.
Police have launched Operation Victor Cord to investigate the matter.
Det insp Toohey said the victim was found unconscious, face up on the boardwalk with severe injuries to his face, and died at the scene.
“It’s a tragic incident for an elderly man going out for his morning walk,” he said.
“It is concerning for a male person going out on a morning walk has sustained these injuries and died as a result of these injuries.”
Det Insp Toohey said police were following various leads and searching the area around the groyne and a cordoned off area around the boardwalk.
He said he couldn’t confirm whether a weapon had been used or located.
Morning beach walkers told Noosa Today a naked man had been seen attacking two women in the area before another man came to their assistance and was assaulted, but police said they couldn’t confirm any details.
Detectives appeal for witnesses to come forward and urge local businesses and homeowners near the boardwalk 1st groyne, with relevant CCTV captured between midnight and 6am, to come forward.