The man who was found murdered in the boot of a car in Qormi has been identified as 62-year-old Mario Farrugia, the police said in a statement on Monday.

The car had been found in the Qormi valley on 5 April. The body was found after reports were made to the authorities of a strong, foul smell coming from the car. The victim's head was covered with clothing and was seen to be covered by a bloodied sheet down to his waist.

The body had been found in a significant state of decomposition and the police were not able to identify the victim immediately. As such, a DNA analysis was required to identify the victim.

The police said that the DNA analysis confirmed that the victim was Farrugia.

Farrugia had originally been reported missing on 2 April, having been last seen on 28 March near his residence in Pembroke. The police said that the grey Peugeot 407 that the man had been using was the same car in which he was found murdered.

The homicide investigation as well as the magisterial inquiry are ongoing, the police said.

The autopsy on the body had found that the victim was stabbed to death in his chest.