Marcus Freiberger dead: Phoenix yoga instructor cause of death pending a month after heading out for a blind date. What went wrong?
What went wrong? After struggling with addiction and money issues. Things were finally looking up…
An Arizona yoga teacher who went to meet with a blind date last month has been found dead.
The body of Marcus Freiberger, 45, was discovered at a rock quarry in Phoenix, about 6 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, on March 19 — nearly one month after the scheduled date, AZ Family reported, citing the Phoenix Police Department.
Of note, Freiberger’s phone and wallet were not found on his person, authorities said according to AZ Family.
Freiberger’s sister, Tina Hall, broke the news of her brother’s death on Tuesday in a Facebook post.
‘It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic news that Marcus is no longer with us,’ the sibling wrote. ‘We thank all of you for the love and support you have given Marcus and our family.’
The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner identified Freiberger’s body on Monday.
A friend of the yoga instructor said the medical examiner’s office needed to ID him using fingerprints through the FBI’s database, AZ Family reported.
The yoga teacher’s case is considered a death investigation, police said, with the man’s cause and manner of death is still pending.
Freiberger had been missing since going to a blind date on Feb. 21.
Friends realized something was wrong when they found Freiberger’s 2-year-old dog, had been left alone in his apartment for days.
Police were notified of his disappearance on March 14 and submitted his information into the state and national database as a missing person.
The 45-year-old was last seen driving a white 2021 GMC Sierra pickup with Arizona license plate 3MA66L at a Phoenix parking garage, AZ Family reported.
Police have not yet revealed if they found the pickup or whom he was meeting up with on the date, or the whereabouts of the blind date. Or if Freiberger ever made the blind date?
The yoga instructor’s dad, Rodger Freiberger, who described his son as ‘handsome, young, ambitious, heavily loved and liked by friends,’ told AZ Central that he had been working with investigators trying to find his son when his body was discovered.
‘We just want to know what happened. Marcus was a great kid. He was truly loved by a lot of people. The amount of shares on Facebook on his missing person’s report. If you go and read the comments, it’s amazing how many people knew Marcus,’ the grieving dad said.
‘I don’t know if he had any issues going on; not sure what led to the disappearance. It’s very strange. Hopefully, they’ll investigate and come up with something.’
His father had previously said his son had been between apartments when he vanished and that he had previously struggled with drugs and money issues.
Marcus reportedly had a history of drugs and rehab stays, FOX10 reported.
The parent also suspected ‘foul play‘ around his son’s disappearance since his dog was left alone.
‘Even if he did decide to go somewhere, he would’ve at least called his friend to take Thomas. That makes me really think there’s something more going on here, foul play of some sort,’ his dad said.
Freiberger had recently landed a gig as an instructor at Melrose Yoga before disappearing and was an instant hit among its clientele.
‘May the soul rest in peace, May the soul rest in peace, May the soul attain Moksha,’ the yoga studio wrote in a Facebook post sharing the news of Freiberger’s death.
In Hinduism, ‘moksha’ is release from the eternal cycle of death and rebirth, and is similar to the Christian concept of salvation.
