Missing Grace: Man held
A man will be charged with the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand.
The 26-year-old has been speaking with police in Auckland in relation to her disappearance, officers said.
Ms Millane, 22, went missing from a hostel in Auckland on December 1. Her body has not yet been found.
Det Insp Scott Beard said the evidence told police she was “no longer alive”.
“Grace’s family have been advised of this development and they are devastated,” he added.
The announcement follows a review of CCTV footage, the forensic examination of a hotel where she was last seen on Saturday, December 1, and the discovery of a vehicle.
New Zealand Police said the man will remain in custody until Monday morning, when he will appear in the Auckland District Court.
Ms Millane, from Essex, was described as a “lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, familyorientated daughter” by her father, David Millane.
She graduated from the University of Lincoln in September and had embarked on a year-long worldwide trip.
After visiting Peru, she arrived in New Zealand on November 20 and had been in near-daily contact with her family until December 1 – the day before her 22nd birthday.
The last confirmed sighting of Ms Millane was at 9.41pm the same day at the Citylife Hotel in central Auckland, when she was seen with a “male companion”.