Mystery over body found in river

The body of a man found in the Waikato River has been identified as Stephen Marc Tobin.

The Waihi man whose body was recovered from the Waikato River in Huntly on Saturday has been identified as 34-year-old Stephen Marc Tobin.

Mystery surrounds how Mr Tobin came to be in the river.

Hamilton CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Daryl Smith told the Bay of Plenty Times there had been no reports of Mr Tobin having gone missing or prior searches of the river before a member of the public came across the body and alerted police.

Mr Smith said police were now working to establish the circumstances of how Mr Tobin came to be in the river and the investigation was still in its "very early" stages.

"Police wish to express their condolences to the family of Mr Tobin," he said.

Mr Smith said Mr Tobin's death had been reported to the coroner.

When the newspaper visited the Waihi home of Mr Tobin's shocked mother yesterday, she said she was far too upset to talk about her son's death, and was still awaiting news about the release of his body.

"We still have the funeral arrangements to make and a funeral to get through," she said.

However, Mr Tobin's mother said her son was well known in Waihi and Tauranga but he had been living in Hamilton at the time of his death.

Other grieving relatives, including a man who confirmed he was Mr Tobin's brother, and a female cousin, declined to comment.