Poisoning suspected in death of ex Kiwi

Poison could have been involved in the death of Patrick Dunphy in Sao Paulo. Photo / Thinkstock

A former New Zealander has been found dead in his bed in Brazil, and police believe he may have been poisoned.

The family of 63-year-old Patrick Dunphy say they were alerted to his death through a message on Facebook.

Mr Dunphy was found dead in his bed at his Joinville, Sao Paulo, apartment on June 16.

He was found by two friends who were concerned that they had not seen him for several days.

Newspaper reports from Sao Paulo said a post mortem examination would be carried out and it is understood officials at Sao Paulo's Death Verification Service found evidence of poisoning.

A police officer told local media four cups were found in Mr Dunphy's apartment, leading them to believe he was not alone before he died.

Police have told the family nothing and they are struggling to get any information about how he died.

"His friend sent my nephew a [Facebook] message asking him to contact her," Mr Dunphy's sister Nicola McGill said last night.

"She was wanting somebody to ring her, she didn't want to email details but needed to talk to someone in the family.

"Later on I got a message from another friend saying the same thing. I rang him and he confirmed what the woman had told my nephew."

Ms McGill said the news came as a shock. Her brother, who has three children, had been living in Brazil for more than 20 years.

"We were not expecting this. Now we're just trying to get the details. We have absolutely no idea what's happened.

She said that hearing he might have been poisoned was scary.

"It gave me a bit of a fright when I started to think about things like that. But being Brazil, nothing would surprise me.

"We've got our fingers crossed that that's not the case, but where there's smoke, there's fire."

Mr Dunphy was born in Britain but grew up in New Zealand.

He attended Tuakau School and Mt Albert Grammar and was a member of several car and aero clubs.

He was working in Brazil as a computer programmer, but recently embarked on a new career as a Portuguese-to-English translator.

On a website advertising his services, Mr Dunphy wrote: "My varied interests make me an excellent translator as they have given me knowledge of many subjects: car rallies, flying, radical sports, travel (already visited more than 30 countries), classical music, reading and almost everything that can be done in life."

Ms McGill said no one from Brazil had contacted Mr Dunphy's family in an official capacity to inform them of his death, which she found frustrating and disappointing.

She will meet a representative of the British Consulate today in a bid to get more information about her brother's death.

Ms McGill said her brother was good to talk to and was having a lot of fun in Brazil.

"Everyone seemed to like him. He was quite active and he got out and about."

Last night Mr Dunphy's Facebook page was filled with tributes from friends.

"The Patrick that I knew he was kind and dear man always helped everyone no matter what the deal was. He taught me to live life to the fullest," said Joni Gallina.

Dawn Davey-Jones wrote: "We will miss your wit, your humour, your honesty and your empathy. It was a pleasure to have known you and chatted with you over these past few years."