Grace family: Our girl is forever a Kiwi

THE family of British backpacker Grace Millane have said their “whole world turned upside down” after the disappearance of the 22-year-old.

The body of Ms Millane, from Essex, was formally identified yesterday after she went missing from a hostel in Auckland, New Zealand, on December 1.

Officers said Ms Millane’s family were “in the process of organising to take her home”.

Her family said: “Grace went off to travel the world in mid-October and arrived in New Zealand on the 20th November. By the amount of pictures and messages we received, she clearly loved this country, its people and the lifestyle.”

Calling the crime “heinous”, the family also paid tribute to investigating officers for completing a “concise, stringent and thorough investigation”.

They added: “Grace was not born here and only managed to stay a few weeks, but you have taken her to your hearts and in some small way she will forever be a Kiwi.” A 26-year-old man has been charged with Ms Millane’s murder and he was remanded in custody after a court hearing in Auckland on Monday. DOZENS of North and South Korean soldiers have crossed over the world’s most heavily armed border as they inspected the sites of rival frontline guard posts to verify they had been removed. Soldiers from the two Koreas exchanged cigarettes and chatted as they inspected the dismantlement.