- Dustin Martin’s father was found dead at his home in New Zealand in December
- Shane Martin suffered depression for years after he was kicked out of Australia
- He had been kept apart from Richmond Tigers hero son and watched wins on TV
- Death certificate is on hold but family hope to fly body to Australia for funeral
Heartbroken AFL hero Dustin Martin and his family may never know exactly how his dad Shane died at home alone in New Zealand last month.
The body of the former Rebels bikie boss was reportedly found in his kitchen in Mount Maunganui, 200km south-east of Auckland, a week before Christmas.
But a month later, his death certificate still remains blank and the results of a post mortem and toxicology report won’t be revealed for months.
The NZ coroner’s office also confirmed intimate details of his final moments might never be known after investigators ruled out an official inquest into the death.
Now his family are understood to be arranging transport of his body to Australia for a funeral after it was officially released by the coroner.
Heartbroken AFL hero Dustin Martin and his family may never know exactly how his dad Shane (pictured together with Dustin) died at home alone in New Zealand last month
Mr Martin had battled depression for years after being cut off from Richmond Tigers great Dustin, 30, but mystery still surrounds his death on December 17.
Detectives have ruled out anything criminal behind the tragedy and it’s understood Mr Martin, 54, did not self-harm.
But question marks still remain after police closed the investigation when they found there were no suspicious circumstances.
New Zealand Ministry of Justice coroners are still trying to determine if the death was natural causes, an accident or drugs-related.
The body of former Rebels bikie boss Shane Martin (pictured in Auckland with Australian actress Rachel Griffiths) was reportedly found in his kitchen a week before Christmas
It is understood the family have been told he may have suffered a heart attack after he was reportedly found face down on his kitchen floor.
But his death certificate will not be issued for months to come.
It’s awaiting the result of a post mortem, including a toxicology report, which was carried out in the days following his death.
However the autopsy findings are not expected to be known until April, five months after Mr Martin’s death.
A month later, the death certificate for Shane Martin (pictured) still remains blank and the results of a post mortem and toxicology report won’t be known for months
And even once the post mortem results are revealed, the full details of his death and the events leading up to it will remain a mystery after coroners ruled out an inquest.
‘The cause and circumstances of death have yet to be determined,’ a spokesman for the NZ Ministry of Justice told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.
The body was released to his shocked family on December 21 who hoped to fly it to Australia for the funeral because of New Zealand’s strict Covid travel restrictions.
It’s believed those arrangements are still underway. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Richmond FC for confirmation.
Heartbroken dad Shane Martin (pictured) battled depression for years after being cut off from his AFL hero son Dustin Martin, but mystery still surrounds his death in New Zealand
The dad of three had been living in New Zealand since he was kicked out of Australia in 2016, when his visa was cancelled over his gangland connections.
The tattooed Maori hardman was devastated to be cut off from his family, decades after he moved across the Tasman Sea and met Dustin’s Australian mother, Kathy Knight.
‘I was depressed and angry for a while and took it out on my wife a bit,’ he revealed in 2019. ‘It wasn’t her fault but she stood strong. Now we’re living together.
‘We’d just got married, two weeks after that I got deported, separated for nearly three years.’
The body of the former Rebels bikie boss was found at his home on Terrace Avenue in Mount Maunganui (pictured), on the Bay of Plenty, 200km south-east of Auckland, last month
He had to watch his son win in Richmond Tigers’ 2019 and 2020 grand final victories on television from New Zealand after a bid to fly over was thwarted.
‘It’s pretty hard to see it on TV when I should be there, really, but that’s another story,’ he admitted in 2020.
‘It’s still a proud moment but I would have loved to be there, but yeah, you know, it is what it is, don’t want to take the moment away from it.’
Covid restrictions meant even triple Norm Smith medallist Dustin, 30, was unable to fly over to New Zealand until April this year, and he begged authorities to have pity.
Shane Martin had to watch his son win in Richmond Tigers’ 2019 and 2020 grand final victories on television from New Zealand after a bid to fly over was thwarted
‘It’s been a massive challenge, but it is what it is,’ Martin said in March
‘I love my dad and he’s made me the man I am today. I’ve got full belief he’ll back here to watch us win another flag.
‘That’s my dream to be able to have the old man up there [in the grandstand] with the rest of my family and watch the Tiges win another flag.’
Shane’s final attempt to return to Australian ended in frustration when he was held at Sydney Airport by Australian Border Force in February 2020 before he was sent home again.
The tattooed Maori hardman was devastated to be cut off from his Dustin Martin (pictured) and his family, decades after he moved across the Tasman and met Dustin’s mother, Kathy Knight
‘It s***s me that you can’t keep in contact with people who have been a big part of your life,’ he fumed.
‘I met some really good, respectful people, I don’t regret it. It sort of annoys me how people look down on bikies, or clubbies. They do have morals, respect and loyalty.
‘They respect what I’m fighting for and vice versa.’
