EXCLUSIVE
The body of a man found floating in Melbourne’s Maribyrnong River – an hour before an elderly woman’s corpse was found in the same waterway – has been identified.
Colombian national Diego Alejandro Barón, 20, was found dead on Sunday morning, before that of Lolene Whitehand, 85, was found wrapped in plastic an hour later.
The two deaths were initially believed to be linked, but it turns out they it was just a grim coincidence.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Mr Barón was recently reported missing by worried friends and family.
Friends and family of Mr Barón are now in the process of raising funds to bring his body home to Colombia.
A GoFundMe page established to raise those funds revealed the heartbreak Mr Barón’s loved ones experienced after he vanished last week.
‘Alarm bells went off and we all began to mobilise to help his family and find Diego,’ organiser Diego Armando Duque Yoscua wrote.
‘Unfortunately, overwhelmed by helplessness, we were unable to deliver good news to his family in Colombia. Diego had appeared lifeless. What happened?
‘Perhaps it is not important now; what matters now is that Diego can rest in eternity in the warmth of our country and the love of his family, who once again asks us for help.’
The body of Diego Alejandro Barón, 20, was found floating in the same river as an alleged murder victim
It is understood Mr Barón had come to Australia a little over a year ago to try and make a better life for himself.
‘We all know that the repatriation of a deceased person is a long and costly process, so we continue to help his family in this pain that not only distresses one family,’ the online appeal said.
‘But the entire community of Colombians and Latinos who came to Australia to seek a better future.’
Police have confirmed they are not treating Mr Barón’s death as suspicious.
About a kilometre from where his body was found, Ms Whitehand was found floating in the river, near Smithfield Road in Flemington in inner-west Melbourne.
The widow was allegedly found with plastic bags tied around her head and parts of her legs, and was badly bruised.
Ms Whitehand had been reported missing by her family on July 12, sparking a hunt for her by concerned locals and police.
When a body was found by a fisherman two days later, neighbours speculated it could be Ms Whitehand, but the possibility initially seemed remote because the corpse was 6km from her home.
‘That would be too far for her. She’s fiercely independent, a real sweetie – but only tiny,’ one friend posted before Ms Whitehand’s identity was confirmed.
‘It’s just too long for her to be missing.’
The body of Lolene Whitehand (pictured) was found floating in the Maribyrnong River about 10.30am on Sunday
Ms Whitehand’s alleged killer, a 49-year-old Footscray West woman, faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday
On Tuesday, police arrested a 49-year-old woman – who is not related to Ms Whitehand – and charged her with the elderly woman’s murder.
A 15-year-old boy was also questioned by police but later released without charge.
On Wednesday, the alleged perpetrator faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court charged with one count of murder, as Ms Whitehand’s grim fate was confirmed.
Magistrate Stephen Ballek warned the media not to publish the accused woman’s name or photograph, making an interim suppression order that cannot be contested by media organisations until Tuesday next week.
Police are yet to reveal why or how they believe Ms Whitehead was allegedly murdered.
‘It’s all just unfathomable,’ one neighbour posted to social media. ‘I cannot get my head around it.’
Neighbours and well-wishers continue to leave floral tributes outside the Glamis Road home of Ms Whitehand, who has been described as a ‘jewel to Footscray’s community’.
‘She lived just down the road from me and was always in her garden and saying hello to my baby and I on our walks,’ a neighbour stated via an online tribute.
‘She was such a kind lady and I just can’t believe someone could do this.’
Others recalled Ms Whitehand venturing into the local opportunity shop for a chat or getting a haircut with her sister.
It is understood Ms Whitehand lived alone at her single-storey home after her husband John died about a decade ago, and that she was once a carer for her sister, who lived in nearby Yarraville.
Contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
