A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a woman who lay dead in a Christchurch residence for three days.
Emergency services were called to a residential property in the hillside suburb of Mount Pleasant at around 5pm on Monday. However court documents show the alleged killing took place on Friday.
Police confirmed a homicide inquiry had been launched on Tuesday after the man was arrested on Monday night.
A cordon was in place at the intersection of Mount Pleasant Road and Bellview Terrace.
The man was granted interim name suppression when he appeared, via audio-visual link, in the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday. His age and other personal details were also suppressed.
The duty lawyer representing the accused did not apply for bail.
Judge Mark Callaghan remanded the man in custody. He was due to next appear in the Christchurch High Court on 25 October.
Police said they were now working to figured out exactly what happened, but confirmed they were not looking for anyone else over the death.
Detective Inspector Joel Syme said the investigation was in its early stages and police were seeking to establish the movements of both the victim and the person charged in the lead up to her death.
"We are very keen to hear from anyone who heard or saw anything suspicious between 10am on Friday 4 October to 4pm on Sunday 6 October in the Mt Pleasant Road or Bellview Avenue area."
A forensic examination was under way and expected to continue over coming days, Syme said.
