POLICE IN NEW Zealand investigating the murder of 22-year-old British backpacker Grace Millane have found a body.
Millane was last seen at 9.41pm at the Citylife Hotel in Auckland last Saturday with a man.
Since her disappearance, Auckland City Police have reviewed hours of CCTV footage and identified the man at the hotel with Millane and he has been spoken to.
Yesterday, police confirmed that a 26-year-old man is to be charged with her murder. He will remain in police custody until tomorrow morning when he will appear in the Auckland District Court.
A scene examination has taken place in a section of bush on Scenic Drive, a countryside road on the outskirts of Auckland. The area was identified yesterday as a location of interest by police.
Shortly after 4pm local time (3am Irish time) police located a body which they believe to be Millane.
A formal identification process will now take place. However, based on evidence gathered, police say they expect the body to be Millane.
“Obviously, this brings the search for Grace to an end. It is an unbearable time for the Millane family and our hearts go out to them,” Auckland City Police Detective Inspector Scott Beard said.
He added that the focus now is to “piece together exactly what happened to a young girl, who came to this country on her OE”.
Police have now released two photographs of a 2016 red Toyota Corolla hatchback. The car was hired from a central Auckland rental company.
“We need to hear from anyone who saw this car last Monday morning between 6am and 9.30am in the West Auckland area,” Beard said.
Anyone who saw the vehicle is asked to call police on New Zealand number 0800 676 255.
“Finally, I would like to thank the investigation team for their long hours of hard work over the past few days. We will be pleased to be giving Grace back to her family.”
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