Police are searching around a small North Otago settlement for the body of a man who is believed to have been murdered the same day his mother died of cancer.
Detective Inspector Joel Syme, of Christchurch, said in a statement the search for the remains of Anaru Moana (37) was continuing yesterday.
A specialist police search team from Christchurch could be seen searching in rough terrain at Bortons Pond area near Duntroon yesterday.
Police believe Mr Moana was murdered following his disappearance from Waimate late last year.
The last person to report seeing him was his niece on the morning of December 20.
He was reported missing three days later after he failed to attend his mother’s funeral.
She died of cancer at a Waimate rest-home on the day he disappeared.
Det Insp Syme said investigators had spoken to several of Mr Moana’s associates and narrowed the timeframe when he was believed to have been killed.
"We are following positive lines of inquiry into the movements of persons of interest in the 24 hours after Mr Moana’s disappearance," he said.
Police are calling for members of the public to come forward if they had seen a silver Subaru or a silver BMW in the vicinity of Duntroon or Blacks Point on the evening of December 20 or the early hours of December 21.
The burnt-out Subaru was later discovered at the Waihao River layby off State Highway 1.
Police are committed to finding Mr Moana and returning him to his whanau, Det Insp Syme said.
A friend of Mr Moana, who declined to be named out of fears for her safety, said he was he was "a really cool fella, he was funny and really made you feel like you had a trusting person around you".
While her friend did not always make the best decisions or involve himself with the best people, he would take the fall for anyone he was close to, she said.
"It breaks my heart he went at the same time as his mum, but it’s good to know he’s with her now.
"I really hope the people who did this are haunted by the last moments of his life and never forget how low they went," she said.
