A dismembered and decomposing body found in a vacant lot in Adelaide's north has been identified as that of a missing 55-year-old man.
Police say only the torso of Geoffrey McLean has been recovered so far.
It was found in a wheelie bin on an empty lot on Cheviot Road at Salisbury South on Monday.
Detective Inspector Brett Featherby said there was evidence to suggest the people involved in the murder had been attempting to bury the body but may have been disturbed.
"Our efforts are firmly focused on recovering the rest of Geoffrey's remains and identifying those persons responsible for his brutal murder," Det Insp Featherby said on Friday.
"At this stage, we believe there was more than one person involved in his murder and the disposal of his body.
"We believe that they were going to bury his remains at that location and may have been disturbed.
"Or they were just lazy and left his remains at that location."
Det Insp Featherby said Mr McLean was also subject to four violent attacks in the months before his disappearance in August.
On April 10 he was attacked by a person with acid, on April 13 he was struck with a log splitter and received serious head injuries.
On May 9 his car was set on fire at his home and on May 10 he had a bucket of acid thrown over him causing serious burns to his upper back and shoulders.
Some people are already before the courts in relation to a number of those matters and a review of the four incidents is underway.
"We believe that Geoffrey's murder is the direct culmination of those violent attacks that occurred in the months preceding his death," Det Insp Featherby said.
Mr McLean was last seen at his home on August 18 but there were no confirmed sightings of him after that date.
"The gruesome nature of Geoffrey's murder will have a profound effect on his family, his friends and his loved ones," Det Insp Featherby said.
"I ask anyone that has knowledge of where his remains may be that we haven't located to contact police."
