Arrest made in Ashburton murder case

Sina Solomona. Photo / Supplied

A youth has appeared in court this morning charged with murdering Ashburton mother Sina Solomona.

The youth was interviewed by police last night and charged with killing the 22-year old in the early hours of Saturday morning.

She was found in a pool of blood at her Ashburton home.

There was a window of about 15 minutes between when Ms Solomona was dropped home by her brother-in-law and when her stepbrother found her in a pool of blood.

The youth appeared at Youth Court in Christchurch early today and was remanded in custody to reappear on January 14 at Ashburton District Court.

Police would not comment on the gender or age of the charged person.

Detective Senior Sergeant John Rae said "enquiries are continuing at a number of sites of interest to ensure that all relevant information is obtained.

"We are continuing to gather evidence to put together a full picture of the events around Ms Solomona's death," Mr Rae said.

Police collected "a number of items relevant to the investigation" during searches yesterday.

A forensic examination continues at the Cass St scene where Ms Solomona lived with some of her family members.

Mr Rae said police hoped to be able to release the scene back to the family today.

Ms Solomona's body was released to her family yesterday and her funeral will be held in Ashburton on Saturday.