Disturbing details in young man’s park death

Disturbing details are emerging in the investigation into a young man’s death in a suburban park in Melbourne.

The man, 28, was found injured at the Lennon Parkway at 4.20am on Saturday.

Emergency services performed CPR on the man, however he died at the scene.

Victorian Police Detective Inspector Dean Thomas said homicide investigators had discovered “several knives” in Balmoral Park at Derrimut, about 22km west of the CBD, and the man appeared to have suffered stab wounds.

“I believe several knives have been found in the area,” he said.

“Again, are they connected to this? They will have to be forensically examined.”

Inspector Thomas said the man was last seen by his sister about 9pm in the Derrimut, and it is believed he was in the company of four other males.

The police are now trying to piece together the movement of the men and they have appealed to members of the public who might have dashcam footage or may have seen something suspicious in the area to come forward.

Inspector Thomas also said the police believed there may have been people in the park present with the victim who have “dispersed”.

“We really don’t know but we believe there may have been a number of people here, who may have dispersed and run off,” he said.

Some people in the park performed CPR on the victim before the arrival of emergency service personnel.

The call to the police came from a person in the park, Inspector Thomas said.

“They appeared in the park and obviously we’re trying to piece all that together, to find out what connection they do have to the deceased,” he said.

He said the police did not have any evidence to suggest the incident was gang related.

“It appears our vic does not have any links to any gang but again, it is still early,” he said.

The police notified the victim’s family in the morning and it is understood the mother of the man attended the park scene in a distraught state.

Forensic police officers continue to scour the park for evidence.

“The most important thing is that we don’t rush it,” he said.

“We need to ensure we don’t miss anything.”