Police have named the man as James Paul Cessford, who worked at Macraes as a Department of Conservation trapper.
Detective Senior Sergeant Steve McGregor, of Dunedin, said yesterday the body was found by Mr Cessford's neighbours in their yard.
His family had reported him missing last Thursday.
The Otago Daily Times understands Mr Cessford lived with his parents in Erskine Pl in the suburb of St Clair Park, and the neighbours discovered the body after their return from a weekend away.
While the circumstances of Mr Cessford's death were suspicious, the exact cause of his death was yet to be determined, Det Snr Sgt McGregor said.
A postmortem completed on Tuesday found Mr Cessford had not sustained any physical injuries.
ESR was assisting police in establishing the cause of death and a scene examination by police and ESR forensic staff had been ongoing.
Mr Cessford's movements over the past week were being investigated and police had several leads to follow up and inquiries to make.
At this stage, police had no concerns for the public's safety, he said.
Neighbours said yesterday Erskine Pl was a quiet street and the Cessford family were pleasant and quiet.
