Police try to unravel homicide mystery
At least one of the two people found dead in a remote area west of Waimate is being considered the victim of a homicide, police said yesterday.
The bodies of a man and a woman were discovered about 11am on Sunday by riders participating in a fundraiser trail ride to benefit Waimate Main School.
Police have identified the female victim, Detective Inspector Greg Williams said yesterday, but were waiting until her next of kin could be notified before releasing a name.
Police are also seeking information on the movements of missing Waimate man Jason Frandi, 43, and his car, though investigators would not say whether Mr Frandi was the male victim or connected with the incident.
Police said they were not ruling out the possibility that the body was that of Mr Frandi, but would not know for sure until it was ‘‘positively identified’’.
It appears likely that the deaths occurred in the area where the bodies were found. Both bodies were taken to Christchurch for autopsy.
Mr Frandi was reported missing on Sunday by a family member after having last been seen about 11am on Saturday, sitting outside his residence in his BMW car.
Police have been stationed outside Mr Frandi’s Smith St home.
Sunday’s grisly discovery brought an annual fundraiser for Waimate Main School to an abrupt halt.
More than 300 motorbike riders turned up for the school’s Blakely Pacific Forestry Trail Ride on the trails beyond Pentland Hills Rd. The event began about 9am and the track had been open for about two hours when a group of riders discovered the bodies.
Event organisers went through the area last weekend to mark the track, principal Adam Rivett said, so no-one affiliated with the ride had checked the trails on Saturday.