Horror update after body of teen was found on dirt road in Alice Springs near Undoolya Station
The 'tragic' death of an Alice Springs teenager, whose body was found on a remote road outside the city on New Year's Day, is being treated as suspicious.
Northern Territory police are investigating after a driver came across the body of the 19-year-old man east of Alice Springs on Monday.
The woman from nearby Undoolya Station found the man lying on a dirt road around 12.30pm and alerted emergency services.
NT Police Deputy Commissioner Travis Wurst said the man appeared to be African with a dark complexion and his body had been in transit for a short time.
A woman found the body of a 19-year-old man on a dirt road outside Alice Springs
He said investigators had identified the man and were trying to contact his family.
“It can only be described as an absolute tragedy happening on the first day of 2024,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“For a young man who has passed away, his family will not have him this year and every year after that.”
He urged members of the public with dashcam or CCTV footage from east Alice Springs to contact police.
“Our investigation will be thorough and we will investigate all lines of inquiry that led us to his movements in the final hours and days after his death,” he said.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.