Neighbours scared into silence

The Tauranga home where the body of a woman was found was a secretive household protected by a ‘‘vicious’’ dog and physically shielded from the eyes of passersby by a large mobile home parked out the front.

Aside from the occasional party, the occupants of 9 Lynwood Place in suburban Brookfield appear to have led a secluded, if not shuttered-in, life, neighbours say.

The discovery of the woman – who lay dead inside the house for days beforehand – followed a frenetic, crime-filled week for Tauranga police, who at the time were following leads in Tuesday’s connected double homicide in O¯ manawa, not far from the McLaren Falls, where two men, aged 43 and 32, were shot and killed.

Police were also involved in a dramatic shootout with a gang member, who they killed on Thursday night.

Police have so far remained tight-lipped over all four deaths, which are connected.

Uniformed officers were still stationed outside the home yesterday, while forensic investigators checked out the scene inside.

It is understood that the woman’s body was removed from the house on Saturday afternoon.

The heavy police presence did little to lessen the reticence of neighbours, who were fearful of giving their names to the media, lest they incur some kind of retribution from her associates.

‘‘They moved in at the end of last summer and there was a big party there not long after,’’ said one neighbour, a middle-aged man who spoke to Stuff on condition of anonymity.

‘‘They were not the most popular people in the street, I can say that for sure.

‘‘They had a vicious dog. Every time you would walk past, it would come up to the window and try to have a go at you . . . It would not stop barking. It was a lethal thing.’’

The dog had been the subject of visits by Tauranga City Council dog control staff, and a warning had been issued to its owners.

Not long after the woman and her family moved in, trees were cut down at the front of the property and, until a few days ago, a large mobile home was parked outside.

‘‘It almost looked like it was shielding the property,’’ the neighbour said.

Another neighbour, who also asked not to be named, said he often saw young children playing outside.

‘‘We never actually saw the mother but we know she must have been there, because there was always washing on the line.

‘‘We saw a few guys hanging around but we never really felt intimidated by them or anything.’’

Another neighbour, Terry Baunton, described the house as a ‘‘typical flat with young people’’.

‘‘There were lots of cars parked outside, but we never really heard from them.’’

‘‘They were not the most popular people in the street, I can say that for sure.’’