South Australian Police have confirmed that a body discovered in scrub on the Fleurieu Peninsula belongs to missing Adelaide man Jeffrey "Jeff" Mundy. The remains were found by a bushwalker at approximately 5:30 pm on April 24, located 5 to 6 metres down an embankment off a track near Mount Alma Road in Inman Valley, roughly 80 kilometres from Adelaide.
Detectives immediately declared a major crime, with investigators believing the victim had been murdered and left at the site several years ago. On Friday, SA Police Major Crime boss Darren Fielke confirmed the body was that of Jeff Mundy, whose "very decomposed" remains were identified through forensic testing. He was last seen in 2020.
"It's been over five years since Jeff Mundy went missing," Fielke said. "I believe there are people who know what happened to Jeff. It is possible the lives of those people — who did not come forward in the initial investigation — have changed, the circumstances and allegiances that may have stopped these people coming forward are likely to have also changed. Now is the time to come forward and speak with police."
Mundy's parents, Rob and Belinda Mundy, thanked major crime detectives for their "tireless work during this devastating time." Rob Mundy said, "For the person who found Jeff, we can never express enough gratitude for you in assisting to bring our son home." He added that the family has lived with an "unbearable ache and pain" of not knowing what happened for five and a half years.
"Jeffrey was a father, a loving son, a brother and an uncle — he was taken from us in the most horrific circumstances," he said. "We are grateful Jeffrey has been brought home so we can lay him to rest with the love and dignity he deserves." The family implored anyone with information to come forward so they can find "peace."
Detective Inspector Andrew Macrae previously stated that the condition of the remains and the circumstances of the discovery pointed strongly to foul play. "The circumstances in which we found it make us very confident that the person was unfortunately murdered," he said.
Jeff Mundy was last seen at Seaford before he went missing. He had been the subject of a long-running Major Crime investigation linked to Taskforce Southern, which is probing the alleged drug-related murders of Trevor King and Robert Atkins. All three cases have been treated as connected, with detectives alleging the men were killed over drug debts.
The remains of Atkins were found in 2023 in a well at an abandoned rural property in the state's Mid North, while King was located in waters off West Lakes in January 2020. Police had long believed Mundy's body was somewhere on the Fleurieu Peninsula.
In 2022, Major Crime Detective Inspector Brett Featherby said investigators suspected Mundy had been held captive before his death and that "a number of people" were involved both in the killing and the disposal of his body. Major Crime has also previously explored whether members of drug syndicates operating around Lonsdale, Aldinga and Sellicks Beach played a role in Mundy's disappearance and death.
The identification of Mundy's remains now refocuses the investigation on establishing who was responsible and how he died. Detectives are continuing to examine whether the location of the body aligns with earlier intelligence gathered by Taskforce Southern. There remains a $200,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to a conviction. No one has been charged over Mundy's murder.
