Max Tancevski

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Nsw Police Force (AU)

Offense Location:

Sydney, New South Wales

Summary:

Max Tancevski was born 13 May 1956 and discovered tied to a handmade metal cross in the Hawkesbury River in Sydney, Australia in August 1994. He died on or about 11 January 1993 from blunt force head injuries inflicted by a person or persons unknown. He was nicknamed "Rack Man" prior to his identification. His identification was confirmed through DNA testing in August 2018 after remaining unidentified for 25 years.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Tancevski went missing from Sydney during a gambling spree in January 1993, last seen on 11 January 1993 at Newtown. On August 11th, 1994, fisherman Mark Peterson was sailing on the Lady Marion in the Hawkesbury River in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, when he noticed he had caught something heavy. He dragged it up, expecting some kind of sea life, only to find human remains, bound to a metal rack, similar to a crucifix, and wrapped in plastic. The body was wrapped in plastic and tied to a handmade metal cross custom-fitting to the man. The remains were of a white man who stood at roughly 163 centimeters/5' 4" tall. He suffered from blunt force trauma to the head, but it could not be determined whether or not he had been thrown in the river before or after death. He was believed to have been in the water for approximately two years. The rack he was bound to was 182 centimeters/6' 0" long, and had been made specifically to the man's measurements. There was rope and wire wrapped around his neck, as well as wire around his torso.

Additional Details:

The water had eroded away his fingerprints, taking with it a possible method of identification. Tancevski was one of several missing people listed as potential identities for the victim before a DNA test ultimately showed he was "Rack Man". The remains were kept at Glebe Morgue for over twenty years, until advances in DNA technology could find a match. In August 2018, NSW Deputy State Coroner Paul MacMahon finally ruled on the identification of the body: the mysterious remains belonged to Max Tancevski, who was last seen leaving his home in Newtown in January 1993. The Coroner recommended that the investigation of the death of Max Tancevski be referred to the Unsolved Homicide Unit of the NSW Police for further investigation. On 3 August 2015, the Commissioner of Police responded that the matter has been referred to the Unsolved Homicide Team for attention and will be captured on the unit's database and progressed at the earliest opportunity. There is nothing to suggest Mr Tancevski had any underworld connections although as a gambler it was known he was in debt to a few people. As of July 2022, the identity of the person(s) who murdered Tancevski are still unknown.

Case Last Updated:

Nov 02, 2026