Body thought to be that of missing tourist
AUCKLAND: A body believed to be that of missing British tourist Grace Millane was found in the Waitakere Ranges yesterday.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard said the body was in a section of bush about 10m off the side of Scenic Dr, a popular road through the Waitakere Ranges.
Speaking from the scene just before 5pm, he said the area was identified late on Saturday night as a result of investigative work.
‘‘This brings the search for Grace to an end. It is an unbearable time for the Millane family and our hearts go out to them,’’ Det Insp Beard said.
The focus now, he said, was to piece together exactly what happened to a young girl who came to New Zealand on her OE.
He was pleased, however, to be able to give Grace back to her family.
Today there will be a formal identification of the body and a postmortem examination.
Det Insp Beard said the 22yearold’s body was believed to have been taken to the bush in a rental car that was later found in Taupo.
He released two photos of the 2016 red Toyota Corolla hatchback that was hired from a central Auckland rental car company last Sunday. Police wanted to hear from anyone who saw the vehicle in the West Auckland area between 6am and 9am last Monday, December 3.
Ms Millane was last seen on CCTV on Saturday, December 1 entering CityLife Hotel with a 26yearold man. That man is now in police custody and due to appear in court today charged with murder.
Police said on Saturday that they were determined to return Ms Millane to her family, who had earlier spread word across the world of the talented artist and university graduate’s disappearance when her daily social media contact stopped the night before her 22nd birthday last Sunday.
Earlier yesterday they con firmed they had identified an area of interest in some bush on Scenic Dr and a full scene examination was under way.
Officers dressed in white overalls were seen exiting the bush carrying clear bags. Large tents were erected on the side of the road and there were numerous police cars, both marked and unmarked.
Det Insp Beard expected the road to remain closed for sometime.
‘‘This is a methodical and slow process and is expected to take all day,’’ he said.
Ms Millane’s father, David, flew to New Zealand early on Friday.
He told journalists his muchloved daughter arrived in New Zealand on November 20 as part of a yearlong, worldwide overseas experience that began earlier this year in South America.
Fighting back tears, he spoke to media about the ‘‘lovely, outgoing, funloving, familyorientated daughter’’ who had been so looking forward to going to New Zealand and had ‘‘bombarded us with numerous photographs and messages of her adventures’’ since arriving.
Police said they had assessed Ms Millane’s property left at the backpackers where she was staying and found some items missing.
Her passport, a pale pink Casio BabyG watch and necklace were among the missing items. Police have not said whether those items were found with her body.— NZME