Body of missing wedding guest found after two days

Andrew Rance had been missing since Saturday. Photo: NZ Police via NZME.
Andrew Rance had been missing since Saturday. Photo: NZ Police via NZME.

The body of a man missing for two days has been found near his car, discovered in a ditch on a rural Wairarapa road.

Police confirmed the discovery of the body of missing 21-year-old Andrew Rance on Tuesday night.

He was last seen leaving a wedding function on Saturday and worried friends and family raised the alarm when he did not show for work on Monday.

His body was found near his car, which was in a culvert at Te Whiti Rd in Masterton.

Police said the Wairarapa man's body was found after emergency services were called to the scene.

Inquiries into Rance's death are continuing.

He was last seen at midnight on Saturday leaving a function in Gladstone Rd, Gladstone, Wairarapa in his black BMW saloon, registration KWZ186.

He had not turned up to work and his family and police were concerned for his wellbeing.

According to Facebook posts, Rance was last seen at a wedding reception at the Gladstone Sports Complex in the Carterton District.

He is a gunner in the New Zealand Army and lives in the military barracks in Linton, Palmerston North, according to a friend.