The body of Sean Francis Lawson (20) was found by a tourist at 7am. Concerns had been held for Mr Lawson because of the heavy rain, high rough seas and flooded Kakanui River on Saturday night and Sunday, and the location of some of his property.
Why Mr Lawson was in that area and what he was doing is a mystery. Police have appealed for information about his movements, or his white Subaru Legacy station wagon, in and around the Kakanui area on Saturday night.
His station wagon was reported by Kakanui people on Sunday parked "in an unusual place" at the end of Cobblestone Rd, near the edge of the river mouth. It was stuck, and there was some property outside it.
Yesterday afternoon, Sergeant Tony Woodbridge said he was waiting for the result of the post-mortem. In the meantime, he had an "open mind" about Mr Lawson's death.
Police were investigating the death on behalf of the coroner. There were a few people to be contacted who may have spoken with Mr Lawson. On Monday, about 25 North Otago Search and Rescue volunteers searched Cobblestone Rd, on the north bank of the river to the river mouth; and the adjacent coastline. Mr Lawson's body was found before the search resumed yesterday.
Mr Lawson had visited a family member in Oamaru on Saturday, after staying in the Twizel-Ohau area.
Sgt Woodbridge had spoken to Mr Lawson's parents, who live in Alaska. They praised the volunteers who helped search for their son. They wanted to thank those volunteers and also members of the Kakanui community who had helped by finding items for the police. Personal items had been found on Monday night, and police needed to verify if they belonged to Mr Lawson.
It was understood Mr Lawson's family owned a section in the Ohau area, and that he had been helping to get it ready to build on. He had been in New Zealand about three months, and held dual New Zealand-United States citizenship. His father is a New Zealand citizen.
Police had been in regular contact with Mr Lawson's parents, and family in Christchurch and Oamaru, since Sunday. They had all been "hoping for the best". They were thankful he had been found, as they had been worried he might never be, but they were "devastated" by the news, Sgt Woodbridge said.
