By FairfaxMedia
The family of a young man found dead in suspicious circumstances at a farm in Bulla say he had a “smile that lit up the room”.
Nathan Khoury, 20, was found lying in dirt with a rifle nearby at his family’s property just before noon last Thursday, police said.
His body was found next to a shed and near abandoned cars on the farm on Sunbury Road.
Police are remaining tight-lipped about the circumstances of his death, but on Friday the homicide squad continued to scour the property for clues.
The Brunswick man was one of five brothers and worked as a mortician in his family’s funeral business, K&S Funerals, based in Thornbury.
“Yesterday we lost a Son, a Brother and a cousin to many,” the family said in a statement on Facebook.
“Words cannot describe how much you meant to us, your smile lit up the room, you comforted so many families, you gave your all to everyone and did everything you could to make everyone happy.
“We have lost one of our own and you can never be replaced. You broke our hearts to see you go … Spread your wings little brother, you were loved by all Nathan and you will always be missed.”
Our Lady of Lebanon Church also paid tribute to Mr Khoury.
It said in a statement he was a dedicated member of the parish who would be “dearly missed by all”.
Witnesses told media at the scene that they saw three men yelling and arguing with police out the front of the property soon after the body was found.
A large police presence remained at the scene late on Thursday night.
A police car with headlights beaming blocked off the entry to a long dirt driveway into the property.
Two signs, advertising a demolition and bobcat business, hung on a barbed wire fence outside the property near old tyres and a pile of broken bricks.
It’s believed the body was found deep in the property. The nearest house was about 500 metres away.
Distraught family members pulled up in cars on Thursday afternoon as forensic police combed the area. The homicide squad remained at the scene, while SES volunteers were scouring nearby bushland.
The exact circumstances surrounding the death are yet to be determined.
– The Age
