Police find body in hunt for woman
Police have found a body in the search for missing Northland woman Bridget Simmonds.
A 57-year-old man has been taken into custody and charged with assault on an unrelated matter, but police said further charges were likely. They were not looking to arrest anyone else related to the case.
The discovery of the remains yesterday comes after police excavated a site where they believed Simmonds could be buried.
The search has focused on a property at Parakao, west of Whanga¯ rei, where Simmonds’ former partner was staying at the time of her disappearance.
Detective Senior Sergeant John Clayton said the excavation had been ‘‘extremely difficult’’.
The site where the remains were buried was found on Thursday and police were still working on the site.
Clayton said they hoped to remove the body yesterday.
Other items of interest have been found at the property but he would not clarify what they were.
Police have previously said Simmonds took a taxi to the property on February 23, 2019, the day she disappeared. The 43-year-old mother of two was last seen in Whanga¯ rei on February 23, 2019, and was reported missing on March 6, 2019.
Clayton said he spoke to Simmonds’ mother, Carol Callen, on Thursday and she was ‘‘very pleased’’ the investigation had got to his point. He said he ‘‘hoped it would bring some closure to the family’’.
While a body has been found, Clayton said there were still gaps in what the police knew, and he said it was likely there were people who knew what happened to Simmonds. He urged them to come forward with any information.
A scene guard was in place at the property overnight.