Lockridge homicide: Victim identified as national handball coach and West Coast Eagles soft tissue therapist

A 45-year-old man believed to be the victim of a murder in Lockridge was the coach of a national sporting team and had in the past worked as a soft-tissue therapist for the West Coast Eagles. Patrik Weiss’ body was discovered inside his Diana Crescent home in suspicious — and disturbing — circumstances about 3.45pm on Monday. The West Australian understands Mr Weiss was bound, blindfolded and wearing a collar when his body was found by a person known to him. Mr Weiss was the head coach of the Australian men’s beach handball team. His social media accounts also say he was a soft tissue therapist who had worked for the Eagles, Western Force, Perth Wildcats and other professional athletes.. The victim, who is understood to be a father of two, is also the owner of a sports massage business, Pace Remedial Therapies. Homicide detectives remained at the scene on Wednesday — two days after the tragic discovery was made. His social media pages reveal Mr Weiss appeared to be a doting father and a lover of sports. A profile posted on Facebook by his employer in 2020 described him as being “passionate about sports and high performance”. “Having worked alongside some of the best practitioners in elite athlete settings at West Coast Eagles, Western Force, Perth Wildcats, world champion triathletes and Olympic athletes, his expertise is in the treatment and management of sports injuries and workplace and lifestyle conditions,” it said. “In his spare time Patrik enjoys spending time with his young family, while also coaching and managing the Australian Beach Handball National Team.” On Wednesday, police started searching in the reeds around Woolgar Lake, which is close to the home where he was found, before a police diver with scuba gear entered the water. At one point, police placed what appeared to be a black glove into an evidence bag. It came as Police Commissioner Col Blanch refused to comment on the investigation into Mr Weiss’ death — particularly the unusual circumstances in which he is understood to have been found. “It’s a very fresh investigation, it would be wrong for me to comment and I don’t know the full circumstances,” he said. But the top cop confirmed the killer was still at large. He made a plea to the public for help in catching the culprit but believed the risk to others was small. “I don’t think there’s a risk to others at this time but it’s an unsolved case and we are working hard to solve it,” Mr Blanch said. “We are really asking the public to help at this time. I don’t believe there’s any risk to the public. “I think it’s quite a confined case but certainly we are seeking public help with the matter at the moment.” It came as Insp. Geoff DeSanges on Tuesday said it “does not appear to be a random incident”. “This does not appear to be a random incident, so we don’t believe there’s any ongoing risk to the community. However, we are asking for anyone to come forward who may know something about it,” he said. Local resident Marisha Taylor said the incident had shaken people in the area. “It was just a bit of shock to see something like this happen in a little suburb when it is very friendly,” she said. “It’s a family area so it’s a shock to know something like this has happened around here.” Another neighbour said he saw police line the streets on Monday afternoon, and people were sitting on the road crying. “I asked them if they were OK, but they just gave a thumbs up … they were crying, cuddling, and supporting each other,” the neighbour said. Anyone with dash-cam footage or CCTV near Diana Crescent and the surrounding area between 8.40am on Sunday and 3.45pm on Monday should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.