Rivett residents say an acutely injured man who went to a house for help died in the front yard hundreds of metres from a property police homed in on as they probed his "suspicious" death.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Officers found the man when they were called to Goodenia Street after reports of a disturbance about 5.25am on Sunday. He died at the scene.
Police said on Monday they had identified the victim but had yet to notify his next of kin.
They believe the man, who suffered "critical" injuries, went to the house seeking help.
Crime scene investigators had zeroed in on one townhouse, which remained taped off, at the corner of Goodenia Street and Casuarina Street, on Monday afternoon.
The rest of the street had been reopened and a bunch of fresh flowers had been left on the lawn.
One neighbour said police had been called to that house over a "domestic dispute" in the early hours of Friday morning.
However, it is understood the man died outside another house further up the street.
The residents were not linked to the man's death, police said.
One neighbour who lived several houses up from that property said he awoke to see an ambulance outside. He was told police had "found a deceased person in the front yard".
"Wouldn't it be horrible to come out and find a body in your front yard?" he said.
Police remained tight-lipped on the case and said investigations into the man's death were continuing.
"The victim has been identified however next of kin notifications are yet to occur and as such no further comment will be made in relation to the victim," ACT Policing said in a statement.
On Sunday, detective station Sergeant Matthew Reynolds could not say why or how the man died, but he ruled out the man had been shot.
"It is too early to say what caused his injuries. We are certainly treating them as suspicious... There is a lot of work to be done at this stage to determine the cause of death of this person.
"What we can say in relation to the location where the male was located is that he is not from that address. And it appears that he has made his way to that location to seek assistance," he said.
Homicide detectives removed items, including a baseball bat, from a white car parked in a corner of the nearby Noah's Ark Family and Community Centre carpark in Bangalay Crescent.
Nearby residents said the car was taken away on Sunday afternoon.
Police would not be drawn on whether they had identified any suspects linked to the man's death. No arrests have been made.
Police have called for any witnesses who noticed suspicious activity or people near Goodenia Street between 4am and 6am to come forward.
They also urged anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage from Canberra, Queanbeyan or surrounding areas between those hours to contact police on (02) 6256 7777. Quote reference 6211559
Information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers, 1800 333 000.