Mystery of body in park deepens

The mystery surrounding the death of a woman at a popular Western Bay park deepened today as an autopsy failed to shed light on whether she is the victim of foul play.
Police are yet to release the name of the 24-year-old Tauranga woman. The autopsy was completed at Auckland Hospital yesterday after the body was found at McLaren Falls Park on Monday.
Although the body was found inside a car, it is not clear whether the woman actually died inside the vehicle.
Police investigating her death said the autopsy did not reveal full details of how she died.
The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner, said the woman's name would not be released by police until she had been formally identified by a family member later today.
"A formal identification has yet to be done," Mr Turner said.
"That is when a member of her family officially confirms her identity in the presence of police."
Details of the cause of death were yet to be fully established, Mr Turner said.
Analysis of forensic evidence from the autopsy and extensive scene examination could take several weeks.
Meanwhile, the major focus of the police investigation was now on a red Mazda Familia car, in which the woman was found a few hundred metres from the entrance to the Marshalls Animal Park.
The car was removed from the park on Tuesday afternoon.
A police team and two forensic scientists from Auckland continued to work at the scene today.
Police also wanted to talk to anybody who saw the woman at the park, or a red car, Mr Turner said.
Police appealed to anyone who was at the McLaren Falls Park on Monday to contact them.
The 170ha park, set among farm land and native bush, is managed by Tauranga City Council.
Council communications manager Frank Begley said the whole park was reopened yesterday after police cordoned off public access to the heart of the park late on Monday.
This happened after the body was discovered about 1pm.
Picnic areas near the main entrance still proved a popular spot yesterday as police scoured the area only 400m away.
Papamoa's Joan Reid, 72, a regular visitor to the park, was shocked to find a police cordon when she arrived to throw bread to the ducks.
"It's normally a quiet place and it's sad to hear someone has died here."
Chris Ramage and Toni Gibson, from Tauranga, were taking advantage of the sunny weather and lunching under the shade of a totara tree, unaware the police team was even in the park.
"We just came up here to make the most of the sun and had no idea about the death," Mr Ramage said.
Anyone with information can contact Tauranga Police on 07 5774300 or 0800 SPEAKUP (0800 7732587).