Memorial service finally held for man murdered 18 years ago

Eighteen years after a South Australian man was murdered, his family and friends have finally been able to farewell him in a memorial service.

Willunga man Dale McCauley's body was located in January, after DNA advances enabled police to crack the cold case wide open.

Mr McCauley's sister Sandra Stokes-Cole had a heartfelt embrace and a kiss for the major crime officers who were a lifeline to her as she searched for her brother.

“They never gave up, they were just wonderful,” she told 7 News.

On Tuesday, the people who loved Mr McCauley had a chance to say goodbye.

“He was a very calm and gentle man who I never saw lose his cool...and it is hard to imagine how the events in his life unfolded in the way they did,” a friend of Mr McCauley’s, Hugh, told those gathered.

The 44 year old was allegedly murdered by his housemate Adrian Mahony after an argument over a yacht.

Sandra made a public appeal for Mahony to reveal where the body was - and it worked. He led detectives to Second Valley four months ago.

“I could not believe that after all those years that he was actually saying well that's where I put Dale's body - so that was just wonderful to find out,” she said.

Sadly, it was just a few months too late for Mr McCauley’s mother.

She and Dale's father had always believed he would come home but they died without knowing what had happened to him.

“They always thought, they always dreamed that one day, Dale would walk back in,” Ms Stokes-Cole said during the service.

She now has the answers that they never had.

“For me, the ending is that we found Dale, I’m putting him to rest and that's the most important thing.”