The mother of the 37-year-old father who was sh0.t...

The mother of the 37-year-old father who was sh0.t d3:ad while trying to collect a debt in Melbourne has spoken out, making the d3:ath of the father of three even more heartbreaking

Human remains have been found in the search for a father-of-three who vanished after allegedly being shot while trying to collect a debt in Melbourne’s north.

Khaled Malas, 37, was allegedly shot in the torso following a dispute with the occupants of a Wildwood property on Wildwood Road about 7.20pm on August 19.

The Meadow Heights man was not seen again, sparking a major search by emergency services.

The search took a grim turn about 3pm on Wednesday when human remains were found covered in grass on Havelock Road at Clarkefield, about a 10-minute drive from the Wildwood property.

The remains are yet to be formally identified, with a post-mortem examination to be conducted.

A 56-year-old man was arrested on August 20 and charged with one count of intentionally causing serious injury.

He faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last Friday and is due to return to court in November.

Police said they would consider alternative charges following the results of the post-mortem examination.

Investigators believe Malas and Aboueid were known to each other.

Police believe Malas was taken from the Wildwood property in a ute after the shooting and his body was dumped.

7NEWS understands the dispute involved a debt of more than $500,000.

Before the discovery, Malas’ mother Doha Al Hamoui told 7NEWS from her home in Lebanon that she had been desperately waiting by the phone for news of her son.

“My son has been missing for four days. I have absolutely no idea where he is, whether he is alive or dead,” she said.

“I don’t know anything.”

A devastated friend remembered Malas fondly.

“Khaled was the most beautiful man, and he didn’t deserve what’s happened to him,” he said.