Epsom motel death: Murder accused found by police

Beauen Wallace-Loretz had been on the run for five days.

Teenage murder accused Beauen Wallace-Loretz has been found by police in the Auckland region.

The 17-year-old had been breaching his electronic bail conditions since Thursday night, but was located by police at about 4.20pm today.

He is now in custody and will appear in the Auckland High Court tomorrow for a bail hearing.

The teen was on electronic bail awaiting trial over the death of 54-year-old Ihaia Gillman-Harrison on December 27 last year at Auckland's Ascot Epsom Motel.

Wallace-Loretz sparked a man hunt after he fled the Avondale address he was bailed to on Thursday.

Police, who were alerted by occupants at the home that the teen was talking about leaving, said last week they believed an associate of Wallace-Loretz had driven him from the address before he cut his anklet.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard also said Wallace-Scott had contacted Corrections after he left the house. Corrections had tried to talk him into turning himself in, Mr Beard said.

After Wallace-Loretz absconded, a family friend revealed to the Herald the teen was terrifed of going back to prison.

"He had been beaten up when he was on remand and it had affected him," the friend claimed. "He looked like he had lost a lot of weight and was really stressed."

Leonard Nattrass-Berquist, 17, is also facing a joint-murder charge of Gillman-Harrison's death.