Police are mystified by the violent death of a 55-year-old gay Auckland stamp collector who was found dead in a pool of blood with multiple injuries at his Laud Ave house around 1.30am on Saturday by his flatmate. Robert John Hunt is described as a quiet, law-abiding, conservative office clerk who worked at Warehouse Stationery on the North Shore. He was well known in the stamp collecting world, belonged to various stamp clubs, and had travelled all around the country for his hobby. One of the most bizarre aspects to the case, according to Inquiry head Detective Senior Sergeant Julian Rinckes, was the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of Hunt's red Honda Integra about 10 hours after his body was discovered at his unlocked Ellerslie home. Barbara Streeter, who had for years been friends with Mr Hunt through stamp collecting, said she was trying to think why someone would harm Mr Hunt. She knew little about his private life except that he was a loner, who had various flatmates over the years only to pay the bills. If he had any relationships, they would have been short, she said.