Police have identified a man found dead in bushland at Chermside, in Brisbane's north, as detectives investigate whether two dogs that mauled a local real estate agent on Friday may also have been involved in his death.
Andy Parker, 48, was discovered near Kittyhawk Drive about midday on Sunday, October 18, just metres from where 37-year-old agent Ajay Malik was mauled while jogging along a bike path at 7th Brigade Park the previous evening. Malik remains in a critical condition with severe injuries to his face and both arms, according to 7NEWS.com.au.
What police know so far
Initial post-mortem findings indicate Parker died sometime on Friday, the same day Malik was attacked. Police have not established whether the animals contributed to Parker's death or had any involvement after he died, and Queensland Police said on Sunday they were unable to rule the dogs out, according to ABC News. The Brisbane Times has reported that officers have since walked back a firm link between the attack and the death while the investigation continues.
Parker was known to sleep rough in the bushland adjoining the Westfield Chermside shopping centre, where makeshift camps had been established. His badly decomposed body was found in an open area exposed to the elements, in terrain lower than the surrounding bushland and not necessarily visible to passers-by.
Forensic investigators are now examining evidence, including taking moulds of the dogs' jaws and attempting to match their DNA with material recovered from Parker's body. The homicide investigation unit has been deployed to the park, with SES crews joining the search for clues. Police are urging anyone who heard or saw anything unusual in the parkland between 4pm and 6pm on Friday to come forward.
Dogs were already known to council
The two animals, described as a bulldog-American Staffordshire terrier cross and a bulldog-boxer cross, had come to Brisbane City Council's attention in July, when officers suspected they had been abandoned and seized them before returning them to their owner.
There were no complaints made to council about those dogs, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.
The owner, Layla Evans, 22, had been living in a tent in the park and said the dogs had been secured inside before managing to escape. She was arrested on an unrelated matter shortly after Friday's attack and had not been charged at the time of publication.
The animals have since been surrendered to council. Schrinner said council had not yet received a request from police to hold the dogs beyond the 14-day destruction notice period, and that the owner could also face council penalties separate from any potential criminal charges.
Whether it's one attack or two attacks, it's a tragedy either way, Schrinner said.
Lord Mayor calls for crisis accommodation that accepts pets
Schrinner has called on the Queensland government to investigate crisis accommodation options for people experiencing homelessness who have pets, a request that sits squarely within one of the state's most persistent welfare gaps.
We don't want to see people living in parks simply because they have a pet when there could be a home for them, he said. If that is indeed the case here, there needs to be an appropriate response where there's a solution for people that have animals.
The case has sharpened two debates at once: how councils handle dangerous or abandoned animals before an incident occurs, and whether people sleeping rough with pets have anywhere to go at all. Council officers seized the dogs in July and returned them to their owner weeks before the attack on Malik, a sequence that will invite scrutiny of the decision-making involved.
Community reeling in Brisbane's north
Malik, a well-known local real estate agent, was jogging along a popular bike path when the dogs attacked. The proximity of both incidents, within metres of each other in a park that borders a major shopping centre, has unsettled residents who use the parkland daily.
Council would work closely with police to support an appropriate outcome, Schrinner said, with evidence gathered by police likely to inform council's decisions on penalties and the dogs' fate.
FAQ
Who was the man found dead in Chermside?
Andy Parker, a 48-year-old man who was known to sleep rough in bushland near the Westfield Chermside shopping centre. His body was found on Sunday, October 18, and initial findings suggest he died on Friday, October 16.
Are the two dog attacks connected?
Police have not confirmed a link. Forensic teams are taking moulds of the dogs' jaws and matching their DNA against evidence from Parker's body, and investigators say they cannot rule the animals out.
Has the dogs' owner been charged?
Layla Evans, 22, was arrested on an unrelated matter after Friday's attack and had not been charged at the time of publication. She could still face council penalties over the dogs, separate from any criminal process.