Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian police believe the party drugs Rye Hunt took before his death in Rio de Janeiro came from fellow Australians he had met in Argentina days earlier.
The 25-year-old, from Tasmania, went missing in Rio on May 21. His body was found washed ashore on a beach in Marica, about 25 kilometres away, on June 8.
Police believed he swam to Ilha Cotunduba, an island about three kilometres from Copacabana Beach, on May 21, and had been unable to swim back to shore.
Although forensic experts have been unable to pinpoint the cause of Mr Hunt's death, due to the decomposed state of his body, police spokeswoman Elen Souto said it was believed he drowned during an attempt to swim back to the mainland, "probably because of severe dehydration".
"He must have tried to leave the island and did not have the strength or health to get to land."
A fisherman told police he had spoken to Mr Hunt on the island, and given him water, on May 22. He described Mr Hunt as being in an agitated state, leaving him and his girlfriend were fearful for their safety.
Police believed Mr Hunt and his travel companion Mitchell Sheppard had taken the party drug MDMA the previous night, causing Mr Hunt to suffer a "psychotic episode".
Ms Souto said police believed the men had obtained the drug in Rio from fellow Australians they had met in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, days earlier.
"The information we got from Mitchell is that they got the drug through Australian friends, that they became close to in Buenos Aires," Ms Souto told media.
"They've met these friends in Buenos Aires and they came to Rio de Janeiro and were meeting almost daily [with] two Australian persons who passed the drug to Mitchell and to Rye."
Toxicological samples were taken from Mr Hunt's body in an attempt to confirm what drug he had taken. His family believed it was not MDMA - the primary ingredient in ecstasy - but instead a powerful hallucinogen, NBOMe.
Police said they had identified Mr Hunt through dental records sent via the Australian Embassy. His girlfriend, Bonnie Cuthbert, had also identified the blue shorts he was wearing when his body was discovered.
They were still awaiting results from a DNA comparison with Mr Hunt's uncle, Michael Wholohan, who was also in Rio de Janeiro.
Mr Hunt's body was set to be cremated at a cemetery in central Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday afternoon (local time), Rio's Extra newspaper reported.
Ms Cuthbert and Mr Wholohan hoped to fly his ashes back to Tasmania on Wednesday.
