Pappas – Australian for “Gator”

Ben Pappas – who used to earn $15,000 a month as a teenage skate star in the US – was dragged from the water by police divers off Victoria Pier at Docklands.

Homicide detectives had been looking for Pappas, 29, since the body of his former girlfriend, Lynette Phillips, was found at Dights Falls in Abbotsford eight days earlier.

[Source: Herald Sun, Australia] Update: Link fixed, plus more links after the jump.

Herald Sun – Fallen idol dies a fugitive

NineMSN – Skateboarder’s death sparks speculation, grief.

Sidney Morning Herald – Last message seals skateboard high flyer’s fall

LAT34.COM – Former Pro Skater Pappas Found Dead; Was a Murder Suspect

The Age – Skate champ left note to family