Australian chef Marcus Volke 'murdered and dismembered' girlfriend before killing himself

Marcus Volke was reportedly caught 'cooking' her remains in chemicals

Marcus Volke (Facebook)

An Australian chef has reportedly murdered and dismembered his girlfriend, before killing himself after being caught by police while “cooking” her remains.

Queensland Police said they were called to Marcus Volke’s flat in Teneriffe, Brisbane, on Saturday night after concerns were raised by neighbours.

“Upon arrival, officers discovered human remains inside a unit,” a spokesperson said.

“A search of surrounding streets later led to the discovery of a man’s body.”

Australian media reported that Volke ran from police when they arrived, fleeing through a back door and jumping over a balcony, leaving a smear of blood on a railing.

His body was later found in an industrial bin, where he appeared to have taken his life.

Mayang Prasetyo was found dead at the apartment she shared with her boyfriend (Mayang Prasetyo)

Police would not confirm reports that Volke had been cooking a part of his girlfriend in chemicals when they arrived but a waste container labelled “toxic” was later seen being removed from the scene.

His girlfriend has been named locally as Indonesian Mayang Prasetyo, 27, who friends said met her boyfriend when they were both working on cruise ships.

Volke’s mother, Dorothy Volke, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) she did not know anything was wrong and had not met Miss Prasetyo.

“I'm not sure what he was doing - last we knew he was working on boats,” she said.

Neighbours had alerted managers of the flat block to a bad smell on the ground floor on Saturday.

The deaths happened in an upmarket suburb of Brisbane

Courtney Reichart, who lives in one of the apartments, said it made her feel ill, describing it as “like as if somebody had put out some dog food or red meat and left it out for a few days”.

“It makes you feel sick that that poor girl sat there for however many days and we've been walking past, living our lives and thinking 'hmmm what's that smell', but you don't put two and two together,” she told ABC.

“They seemed quite friendly.”

Police were continuing their investigation on Monday, with officers appealing for members of the public who were near the apartment on Saturday to come forward.