Yoga Instructor’s Cause of Death Revealed 2 Months After He Was Found Dead in a Rock Quarry

Marcus Freiberger was last heard from on Feb. 21 before he was scheduled to meet a blind date

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NEED TO KNOW

• The remains of Marcus Freiberger, 45, who was last heard from on Feb. 21, were discovered at a rock quarry on the outskirts of Phoenix about a month later, police said
• “We are obviously heartbroken,” friend Amber Cranford previously told PEOPLE following the news of Freiberger’s death at the time. “It’s going to take a while to process this”
• The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office has listed Freiberger’s manner of death as “undetermined”

Authorities determined the cause of death of a yoga teacher whose body was found just over two months ago at a rock quarry on the outskirts of Phoenix. 

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office listed on its website that 45-year-old Marcus Freiberger’s manner of death is “undetermined.”

In the medical examiner’s annual report from 2023, “undetermined” is when a clear manner of death cannot be found, “typically due to a lack of available information or where competing manners [of death] are equally likely.”

Freiberger was last heard from on Feb. 21 before he was scheduled to meet a blind date, the AZ Central reported.

At the time, police said that officers began investigating his disappearance on March 14, after receiving a missing person report.

“The investigation was led by the Missing Persons Detail, who completed thorough investigative checks,” the Phoenix Police Department said in a March 25 press release. “No additional leads or evidence were discovered to determine if Freiberger left town or fell victim to any particular crime. Investigators continued to work with family and friends but were unable to determine Freiberger’s whereabouts.”

Police said human remains were discovered at the rock quarry near 15th Avenue and Broadway Road on March 19, adding that the medical examiner’s office later identified them as belonging to Freiberger.

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Freiberger’s sister, Tina Hall, also confirmed the death of her brother in a March 25 Facebook post.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic news that Marcus is no longer with us,” Hall wrote. “Losing him feels like losing a part of ourselves and I know this will be just as difficult for you. We thank all of you for the love and support you have given Marcus and our family.”

Friends believed something was amiss when they discovered that Freiberger’s beloved dog was left alone in the apartment.

“He just did everything with his dog,” Freiberger’s childhood friend Amber Cranford told PEOPLE. “He was constantly at the dog park or taking him hiking, and any time he left, he would call somebody to watch the dog. He was just so into his dog, and the dog ended up being by itself for at least six to eight days.”

Freiberger’s last correspondence with his father and a friend “seemed normal, nothing out of the ordinary,” said Cranford. “And then that same night, his phone was disconnected. When you called it, it went to Verizon, basically. And then we called his phone after that, and it’s dead now.”

Freiberger, who had relocated to Phoenix from Prescott, Ariz., three years ago, had started a new career as a yoga instructor.

“He had just graduated a couple months ago, and he was working at a place and had a huge following, and he was just very, very happy about that,” Cranford said. “He was so excited because he had all these ideas for classes and what he was going to do. It was the spiritual thing, and then also just a stress-free job, doing what he liked.  He felt that he had finally found what he was supposed to be doing.”

Nicole Keir, a friend of Freiberger who had worked with him at a hotel in Austin, remembered the former roofer as “very lively and friendly.”

“He was really enigmatic, big smile,” she told PEOPLE. “We used to all go dancing after work. And there was always fun, like work outings and he would participate. We just got along very well and just always were supportive of each other.”

Upon hearing the news of Freiberger’s death, Cranford said: “It is devastating, and we are in shock. We are obviously heartbroken. It’s going to take a while to process this. There will be a huge void left for all of us. It is a huge loss for every single person who knew him, especially his parents and sister.” 

“Our parents were best friends,” Cranford added. “Our parents were in the military. They worked together, and we lived across the street from each other, so we’ve known each other since then.”

Additional reporting by Christine Pelisek and Kristen O’Brien.