POLICE "firmly believe" there are people in the community who can shed light on the suspicious death of a man who was pulled from a creek in Muswellbrook with unexplained facial injuries last year.
A recent breakthrough in the investigation has sparked a fresh appeal for information on Thursday, as strike force police piece together what happened to "larrikin" Malcolm Bridge.
The body of the 58-year-old Muswellbrook and Aberdeen local was found in Muscle Creek on March 30 last year.
"At the time it was established that he hadn't drowned, he had some injuries to his face and hands that can't be accounted for at the moment," Hunter Valley police crime manager, Detective Chief Inspector Rod Blackman, said.
Police urged anyone with any information about Mr Bridge or his movements between March 27, when he stayed at a Maitland Road motel, and March 30, when his body was found, to contact police.
"Quite specifically, we're after people that have known Malcolm, that haven't come forward, people from the local community, and the circles that he may have moved in," Detective Chief Inspector Blackman said.
"We do have some information that he may have been involved in a dispute with some local people of Muswellbrook, so we're absolutely keen to hear from anybody that has any knowledge around those relationships that he may have had in the local area."
Police believe Mr Bridge had plans to "sleep rough" under the railway overpass bridge at Muswellbrook on March 29, 2023.
"He was certainly in contact with people up until about that date, but again if we can just broaden that window from the 27th to 30th," Detective Chief Inspector Blackman said.
He could not comment on whether Mr Bridge was known to police, or whether there were any people of interest that had been identified.
"Despite some significant investigation thus far ... we do firmly believe there are people out there that may have some information that could shed some light on Malcolm's movements leading up to his death, and certainly the cause of Malcolm's death," he said.
"We understand sometimes people won't come forward in the first instance, but with the passage of time, we'd really like to hear from them, however small they think their information is."
Strike Force Bocks was launched to investigate the suspicious death, which will remain ongoing.
"We're exceedingly mindful of the impact this investigation has had on family members, we won't leave any stone unturned," Detective Chief Inspector Blackman said.
"We've had some tenacious investigators working very hard on it and again, they are committed to getting the right outcome for the family."
Earlier on Thursday, Mr Bridge's sister, Kathleen Howard, said their family needed answers to get some sense of closure.
"There are people out there that know what happened to Malcolm, and his last moments," she said.
"We are asking anybody that knows anything - doesn't matter whether its small - to please go and see the Muswellbrook police."
Ms Howard and her family have described Mr Bridge, who was one of 16 children, as a "larrikin", "an absolutely fantastic brother" and "a man of his word who would give you the shirt off his back".
"He loved his fishing, loved having a joke around, he was just an amazing man," she said.
Back in 2023, his brother Mathew Bridge was meant to pick him up, but had contracted COVID on a ship that week which delayed his trip to the Hunter region.
As he drove south to get his brother, he received a call telling him a body had been discovered in the creek, which he said did not make sense because he was a good swimmer and would not have drowned.
Anyone with information about this incident has been urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com, or contact Muswellbrook police.
