The body of Melbourne musician Eimable Manirakiza has been discovered after a two-month community campaign to find him.

Eimable Manirakiza, 24, a talented singer and music producer who was well respected in the Melbourne hip hop community, was last seen at Gordon O’Keeffe Reserve, Werribee on Wednesday, June 23rd.

The night before his disappearance, his younger brother Bienvenue went to his Point Cook sharehouse after his housemates expressed concern that Eimable had been depressed and hadn’t been communicating, eating, or sleeping well.

Bienvenue told The Age that Eimable was so anxious that he was “almost in a panic state”.

The following day, Bienvenue drove Eimable to the Manirakiza family home in Werribee. As their mother, Benine, called for an ambulance, Eimable walked to Gordon O’Keeffe Reserve.

Bienvenue said that when he followed, Eimable was “nowhere to be seen”.

The disappearance of Eimable sparked a community-wide search; with friends and relatives searching the streets, homeless shelters, handing out flyers, and starting a social media campaign.

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A statement shared to the Finding Eimable Instagram account earlier this week wrote it was “heartbroken” to confirm the news of Eimable’s passing.

“A member of the public found Eimable’s bag and phone, which provided us with a location to focus on,” the statement read.

“On the morning of the 4th, several members of our team headed out to the location to conduct a search for the bag. It was not long after that Eimable’s body was found by our team. Emergency services were then called.

“Circumstantial evidence strongly indicates that he passed away where he was found, not long after he went missing.”

A spokesperson for Victoria Police confirmed a body was found at around 11:30 am on Saturday, September 4th in the Werribee River. The body is yet to be formally identified, but investigators believe it is that of Eimable. A post-mortem will be conducted.

“This information while devastating does not change how incredibly grateful we are for the action you as a community have taken to find Eimable,” the Finding Eimable statement read.

“The level of love, care, and investment you all have displayed will stay very close to us as we enter this new stage of life without Eimable.”

In the wake of his death, the Finding Eimable team has launched a GoFundMe campaign dedicated to raising funds to financially support the immediate family of Eimable, who was the oldest of nine siblings.

“We are in the process of planning a funeral and burial that we believe honours the way he lived. That is what part of the money raised will be going towards,” a description for the GoFundMe reads.

“We are also asking for financial support that can go toward the immediate family for rent, transport and general living expenses to alleviate the stress of maintaining work throughout a mourning period and also through a pandemic.

“And finally, for ongoing mental and physical health treatments for the whole immediate family.”

To donate to the GoFundMe campaign, head here.

There are a number of immediately contactable hotlines that you can call if you or anyone you know needs help:

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