Bizarre reports have surfaced of naked men running around Noosa Heads in the early hours of Sunday, before an alleged random, fatal attack on a beloved granddad and golfer.
John Kerr, 87, died on the boardwalk behind Noosa’s well-known Hastings St after an alleged physical attack, about 100m from the main beach about 6am Sunday.
Detective Inspector Chris Toohey confirmed there was a defibrillator machine ripped out of the wall of the nearby Noosa Heads Surf Lifesaving Club that morning.
“We were aware that was thrown away,” he said.
Mr Toohey said the man who had done that was in “various stages of undress”.
Another naked man, found in a Noosa Heads home after trying to force his way in early Sunday, has not been linked to the alleged attacks.
Noosa man John Kerr died after an alleged attack near Hastings Street on Sunday.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Cowan confirmed that police were called to that incident and located the man.
“He was released into the care of his family,” he said.
“Those incidents are definitely unrelated.”
Police are appealing to anyone who saw a naked man, either fully unclothed or in various stages of undress, near the northern end of Hastings St or walking into the Noosa Woods pathways between 5am and 7am Sunday.
Police dive crews at the scene of the alleged fatal attack of an 87-year-old man at Noosa Heads on Sunday morning. Picture Lachie Millard
Investigations to-date had revealed a 27-year-old Gympie man charged with the serious assault of Alan Beech, 69, had been naked at the time of the incident.
Detectives on Monday confirmed the 27-year-old Gympie man, who faced court in Maroochydore on Monday in relation to the alleged assault of Mr Beech, was the same person of interest in their investigation into Mr Kerr’s death.
Sunshine Coast Detective Inspector Chris Toohey appeals for information about the alleged fatal attack of John Kerr in Noosa Woods. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Aisling Brennan
Detective Inspector Chris Toohey on Monday said police knew there were witnesses to the alleged attacks that were yet to come forward.
“We still haven’t got all the witnesses at this stage,” he said.
“To have the investigation complete and in its entirety we need to speak to everyone.
“We are currently still getting forensic evidence.”
Inspector Toohey confirmed Mr Beech was allegedly assaulted in the same proximity and at the same time that Mr Kerr was attacked and killed but the two were not known to each other.
He also confirmed police had no involvement with the person of interest prior to the alleged assault, after social media reports surfaced of people encountering a naked man banging on windows along Noosa Pde in the early hours of Sunday.
It came as one hotel staffer reported a homeless man had approached their Hastings St property midmorning on Sunday, hours after the alleged attack on Mr Kerr, seeking a room, something which struck the staffer as particularly unusual.
She said she’d not come across homeless people in the local area in her time.
Local police sources said homelessness was not an issue in the Noosa Woods area.
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