By ALISON HORWOOD
Palmerston North mother and daughter Christine and Amber Lundy were killed with a tomahawk or small axe, police have confirmed.
The murder weapon is still missing but a forensic examination of the bodies points to its having a sharp edge and a blade between 8cm and 10cm long.
Mrs Lundy, aged 38, and Christine, 7, were found in the bedroom area of their Kelvin Grove house on August 30. They had been killed some time the night before.
The pair had horrific head injuries and the officer in charge of the inquiry, Detective Sergeant Ross Grantham, yesterday described the case as one of the worst he has worked on.
ESR scientists in Wellington were still gathering information from about 100 exhibits from the Lundy family home, but with the information already received and the suspects police were working through, he was confident forensic results would provide enough information for an arrest.
The police team of 25 officers had also sought the help of an overseas criminal profiler.
Detective Sergeant Craig Sheridan said people should keep an eye out for the tomahawk and a jewellery box with a clown on the door, missing from Mrs Lundy's bedroom.
He would not comment on whether it was unusual to take only an inexpensive jewellery box, but said it was possible the offender "staged" the scene to make it look like a robbery.
He would not comment on whether other aspects of the scene or victims had been tampered with to lead police astray.
Police will not give further details on the injuries Mrs Lundy and Amber received, but said earlier that preliminary examinations showed they had not been the victims of a sexual attack.
The information on the murder weapon was not new, but police released it to stop conjecture and in response to impatience from the public for more information.
Detective Sergeant Sheridan said the 0800 line was running hot with information from the public, theories on who killed the pair, and offers of help from psychics.
Police sought information on two vehicles: a white Mitsubishi L300 van seen in the Lundy driveway on the morning of August 30, and a white four-door Toyota Corolla or Lancer, outside the house the same morning.
The Operation Winter number is 0800 679-468.
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