Grace was murdered say police...so where is her body hidden?
POLICE are convinced missing British backpacker Grace Millane, who vanished eight days ago while on a gap year trip in New Zealand, was murdered.
An unnamed 26-year-old man, seen returning to a hotel with Grace on the night she disappeared in Auckland, is to be charged with her murder and will appear in court tomorrow.
But detectives are still desperately searching for her body.
The 22-year-old, from Wickford, Essex, had been in daily contact with her family before she went missing.
She had been travelling the world after graduating from university and the alarm was raised when she did not respond to messages on her birthday.
She was known to have used online dating app Tinder while in New Zealand.
Her father, millionaire property developer David Millane, has described his daughter as “lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-orientated”. The last confirmed sighting of her was at the plush CityLife Hotel, when she was seen with a “male companion” on December 1. It is a short walk from Base backpackers’ hostel where she was staying.
A forensic examination of the hotel is continuing as the 25 officers probing the murder are trying to trace the movements of a car linked to the man.
New Zealand Police Detective Inspector Scott Beard confirmed the intention to charge the 26-year-old man, adding: “Sadly, the evidence we have gathered has established that this is a homicide. Grace’s family are devastated. We still do not know where Grace is. We are determined to find her and return her to her family.
“We have secured a vehicle of interest and are making inquiries to find exactly where that vehicle has been.
“The evidence we have located so far has determined Grace is no longer alive and this is a murder investigation.”
DI Beard added: “Everybody who is a parent out there will understand and appreciate what the parents are going through.”
He declined to comment on speculation about whether Grace and the man met through the dating app.
Grace began her solo trip on October 26, spending time in Peru before arriving in New Zealand on November 20. She had been due to check out of the hostel yesterday.
She graduated with a marketing degree from the University of Lincoln in September and planned to travel to Thailand, the Philippines and Australia.