Three men have been charged with murdering a man who was allegedly kidnapped, tortured and kept in an esky before being killed.

Shaun Barker's charred remains were dug up by forestry workers at Tin Can Bay in south-east Queensland in April.

Mr Barker, who lived on the Gold Coast, had been reported missing by his family on January 14.

Detective Superintendent David Hutchinson said Saturday's arrests were the culmination of a comprehensive and protracted investigation which started as a missing person report.

He said police would allege Mr Barker was taken against his will from a service station in Broadbeach in December 2013 and taken to Cooloola Cove, north-east of Gympie.

Police will claim Mr Barker was then further assaulted, tortured and held in an esky for a lengthy period of time before he was killed.

His body was then set alight and buried in the Toolara State Forest.

"We have established that he [Mr Barker] was last positively sighted on December 10, 2013 at a Broadbeach service station where he was taken away from that service station against his will, transported up to Cooloola Cove, north-east of Gympie," Detective Superintendent Hutchinson said.

"We will allege that up at Cooloola Cove he was further assaulted, tortured and in particular was held in an esky for a lengthy period of time before he was killed, his body was burnt and buried in the Toolara State Forest."

A 37-year-old Gold Coast man and two men from Cooloola Cove, aged 45 and 22, have been charged with murder, interfering with a corpse, torture and deprivation of liberty.

The 45-year-old man, who is the father of the 22-year-old, was arrested at Brisbane Airport after arriving on a flight from Thailand.

The Gold Coast man is due to appear at Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Monday while the other men are due to appear in at Brisbane Magistrates Court also on Monday.

Police appeal for witnesses to come forward

Detective Superintendent Hutchinson said the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) had made a significant contribution to the investigation.

"They gathered crucial evidence through a series of coercive hearings from July 2014," he said.

"The CCC's hearings helped investigators to identify those involved in the alleged murder and the timeline of events leading up to it."

Superintendent Hutchinson said detectives would like to hear from anyone with information about the death of Mr Barker, or about the location or movements of a white 1983 model 80 Series Toyota Landcruiser, which at the time displayed Queensland registration 817SBZ.