Jeep at centre of manhunt found

Police have made a major breakthrough in the hunt for the killer of George Taiaroa.

Fairfax Media understands police know the whereabouts of the blue Jeep Cherokee that is central to the case, and investigators have been sent to an undisclosed area believed to be outside South Waikato where the vehicle is understood to have been found.

According to a reliable source, police have made substantial progress on the case during the past three days including a ‘‘steady stream’’ of information following an appeal on Police Ten7 this week.

When asked about the discovery of a blue Jeep Cherokee, police were keeping tight lipped.

Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said she was not prepared to comment on the specifics of the case.

‘‘We’re looking at Jeep Cherokees everyday, we’re speaking to people everyday. We’re not going to be drawn into commentary on the specifics that are within the investigation, because that is going to jeopardise the process.’’

Although she would not deny the vehicle had been found, she said the case remained unsolved and police had no-one under arrest.

A steady stream of information has been received by the investigation team after a television appeal on Thursday night.

Mr Taiaroa’s death was featured on Police Ten-7 and Detective Inspector Tim Anderson said the appeal for information resulted in about 12 calls to police.

‘‘It shows there is still more information out there that could assist the investigation,’’ Mr Anderson said. ‘‘We’ve been pleased with the steady stream of information provided by the public to the team; every piece of new information allows us to progress this investigation.’’