There has been no trace of the 53-year-old Alexandra woman since she went missing from the garden of her daughter's Dunedin home a year ago today.
‘‘We're still struggling with it because of the uncertainty but we have to accept we may never find the place she's resting,'' her husband Steve said yesterday.
Detective Sergeant Hayden Smale said police were assessing the file on the case before it was sent to the coroner. He confirmed there had been no sightings of Mrs Potter since she was reported missing and said her cellphone and bank cards had not been used.
Police did not believe there were any suspicious circumstances, Det Sgt Smale said. The coroner would mostly likely hold an inquest on the circumstances around her disappearance.
Searches for Mrs Potter involved police and hundreds of volunteers and an active social media campaign also boosted the number of searchers.
Mr Potter said he and the couple's two adult daughters were grateful for everyone's support in the past year.
‘‘In a situation like this, it seems everyone pitches in and does what they can and the community's been incredibly caring and nurturing.''
The family was ‘‘boxing on'' and trying not to speculate on what might have happened to Mrs Potter, he said.
‘‘Every now and again, though, you hear a voice or see someone who stops you in your tracks, because you think - just for a second- it's Denise.
‘‘It's still a puzzle, the what, and how and where, but there's been no indication at all about those things.''
Milestone occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries, were difficult, ‘‘but we're just getting on with things. That's what you have to do''.
‘‘And we think, in some ways, we were lucky to have had as much time with Denise as we did. Hard as it is, some families lose their loved ones at a much younger age.''
More than 600 people attended a memorial service for Mrs Potter in Alexandra in June.
