Body found in hunt for Brit backpacker

A BODY believed to be British backpacker Grace Millane has been found near a beauty spot on the outskirts of Auckland.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard, of Auckland City Police, said formal identification was yet to take place, although “based on the evidence we have gathered over the past few days we expect that this is Grace”.

A 26-year-old man has been charged with the murder of Ms Millane, 22, and is due to appear at Auckland District Court today.

Detectives said they had identified a “location of interest” after the investigation led them to a spot on Scenic Drive, a country road around 12 miles west of the city centre, on Saturday night. Speaking at the scene yesterday afternoon, Det Insp Beard said investigators had “located a body which we believe to be Grace” around 10m from the roadside. The last confirmed sighting of Ms Millane was at 9.41pm on December 1, the day before her birthday, at the Citylife Hotel in central Auckland, when she was seen with a “male companion”. Since arriving in New Zealand from Peru on November 20, she had been in near-daily contact with her family.