WELLINGTON: New Zealand police said on Sunday that they believe they found the body of a missing 22-year-old British woman after charging a 26-year-old man with her murder.
Grace Millane, 22, was last seen a week ago entering an inner-city hotel in Auckland with a man.
Police said a 26-year-old man was charged with murder after being questioned for several hours on Saturday and would appear in court on Monday.
Police found the body following a search of a bush area in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges. The body had not yet been formally identified, but it was believed to be that of Millane, Beard said.
"Obviously, this brings the search for Grace to an end," Beard said. "It is an unbearable time for the Millane family and our hearts go out to them."
He added that Millane's family, including her father who has flown to New Zealand on Friday, has been informed. Asked how the father was doing, Beard said, "Any father, any parent in this situation would struggle."
Millane was on a year-long worldwide holiday after graduating from university and had kept in daily contact with her family until the night before her 22nd birthday last weekend.
Her father David, who reported his daughter as missing, arrived in New Zealand on Friday and issued an emotional appeal for information relating to the disappearance of his “fun-loving, outgoing and family-orientated” daughter.
(With AFP)
