Jason Butler was last seen in October 2021.
Police have arrested and charged a man with manslaughter today over the disappearance of Jason Butler four years ago.
For Butler’s family, the news is tinged with frustration that it has taken so long, and leaves them wondering whether they will ever know where he is.
Butler was 50 when he was reported missing on October 27, 2021, after not being seen for four days.
Police said extensive searches took place in and around the Ōmāio area, near Ōpōtiki, and along the East Coast, including along the Haparapara River and bush areas, but Butler was not found.
A series of search warrants were executed today in Ōpōtiki and Ōmāio, and a 57-year-old man was arrested, police said in a statement.
Bay of Plenty area investigations manager, Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson, said it had been a long and extensive investigation.
“I want to acknowledge the whānau of Jason. This week is the four-year anniversary of his disappearance, and I know they are still feeling his loss deeply.
“While I know we haven’t been able to bring Jason home, I hope this gives them some kind of closure.”
Wilson acknowledged the hard work of all those involved in the investigation over the past four years, including the initial search and rescue operations.
The 57-year-old man appeared in the Whakatāne District Court before Judge Melinda Mason today on a charge of manslaughter, the Whakatāne Beacon reported.
The charge alleged that, by omission without lawful excuse to perform or observe any legal duty, he caused Butler’s death.
He did not enter a plea and was granted interim name suppression until his next appearance.
He was remanded in custody to appear in the High Court at Tauranga on November 5.
Butler’s sister, Huia Mackley, told the Rotorua Daily Post this morning from Australia that news of the arrest was “still sinking in”.
She said it was frustrating that it had taken four years.
The arrest was only a small part of the whānau’s healing.
“We still don’t know where Jason is, and we will always wonder and wait for Jason to be brought back to us. This could be the start, or will we be left? Will the story stay there, and will we never know?”
Mackley and other members of Butler’s family, including his parents, Huia and Frank, were already returning to New Zealand in preparation for the fourth anniversary of Butler’s disappearance next Thursday.
On the third anniversary last year, the Rotorua-born man’s family unveiled a memorial plaque at a Ngāpuna urupā in Rotorua.
The family said at the time that the plaque was to serve as a place to go and remember Butler until answers could be found.
They have previously said Butler was raised in Rotorua until his whānau moved to Australia when he was about 9.
At the age of 24, he was deported to New Zealand after serving a prison sentence.
He made his way back to Rotorua, where he stayed for about 15 years. He drifted from place to place and at times slept rough. He fathered 10 children.
With help from whānau, he moved to Ōmāio, where he lived in a container home on whānau land until his disappearance.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
- Additional reporting by Neryda McNab of the Whakatāne Beacon.