Police believe victim was not driving

The police investigating the death of 24-year-old Christian Gauci, whose corpse was found in his BMW at Zurrieq late on Sunday, think he had been driven there by somebody else.

Sources said the police believe that Mr Gauci did not drive the car himself but was driven and left there hoping someone would notice him and call an ambulance or the police.

Toxicological tests are being carried out on Mr Gauci's body to determine whether the use of illicit drugs was involved.

An autopsy confirmed he had died of a pulmonary oedema caused by heart failure.

The sources said one can be a drug abuser, stop using drugs and die because of the effects of the drugs a week later. Toxicology results would still read positive for drugs.

"Heroin abuse puts a lot of stress on one's heart. Toxicology will tell you if there was recent drug abuse," the sources said.

Mr Gauci had left home on Saturday and did not return. His parents were worried something might have gone wrong because he was not in the habit of doing that.

The police found him after receiving a report that the lifeless body of a man was slumped in a car parked in Carmelo Caruana Street.