Joanne Ingham, one of the Ingham twins who captivated public attention in the late 90's, was found dead at a Wellington Motel.
Video / Mark Mitchell
One of the Ingham twin sisters, who captivated public attention as stowaways on a foreign ship in the late 1990s, has been found dead at a Wellington motel.
Police have described the death of Joanne Ingham, 43, as "unexplained".
Police were called to the Harbour City Motor Inn in WebbSt at about 2.40am today and a spokesperson said inquiries into the death are under way.
"Her death is currently being treated as unexplained and a scene examination is being carried out."
"I'm not really bothered by it, everyone that does come and go keeps themselves to themselves for the most part."
He said the motel had lost its signs in recent weeks, but he still saw people entering and exiting the building.
By just after 1pm, the scene at the motel was almost abandoned. A single police car was parked on the street, and another was halfway down the road at the intersection of Webb and Cuba Sts.
Joanne Ingham was found dead at the Harbour City Motor Inn in Webb St. Photo / File
A grill was pulled down over the receptionist's desk but no police cordon was visible.
A security guard told the Herald the motel had recently changed hands, which was why the signs had been taken down.
A member of the church opposite the hotel told the Herald that disorder - and subsequent police presence - used to be a frequent feature of the area, as it was formerly used for emergency housing, but the issues had mostly ceased when the hotel changed hands.
He said there were often drug deals outside the building, and a corner room was ruined in a fire and its occupant left "in a hurry".
Joanne and Sarah Ingham first came to international attention in 1997. They had stowed away on a Malaysian container ship and claimed to have jumped overboard and survived swimming through crocodile-infested waters in Queensland.
Their tale dominated world headlines and led to them receiving a hefty payment to appear on Paul Holmes' TV show.
In an awkward interview, the twins told Holmes that before jumping off the ship they were told to hold their life jackets down the side so they didn't break their necks when they hit the water.
