Selwyn John Wallace about a month before his death. Photo / Supplied
It has been revealed the man found dead in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour on Sunday had been bound by the ankles and wrists.
Police this morning released photos of 52-year-old Selwyn Wallace, in the hope people would recognise him and report sightings of him around the city over the
weekend.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mark McHattie says Mr Wallace was bound by a bungee cord material when found floating under Wynyard Wharf in downtown Auckland.
But he says it is still not clear whether anyone else was involved in his death.
Police said Mr Wallace was alive when he entered the water and post-mortem results showed no injuries.
"Situations that some people outside the police believe should be 'black and white' are often grey," Mr McHattie said.
"It's not yet clear whether anyone else was involved with his death."
Mr McHattie said police were appealing for sightings of Mr Wallace between 7.30pm on Saturday and 9am the following morning.
In the previous 24 hours he had been seen walking in Margot St, Epsom, Park Rd in Grafton and Newton Rd in Newton.
It was also possible he had been walking around the central city area and the Viaduct Basin.
"Mr Wallace had a distinctive gait in that he shuffled more than walked and those who were in contact with him before he died described him as being visually unwell," Mr McHattie said.
"It's quite possible he had visited food outlets and used public transport to assist him get around the city last weekend."
Mr Wallace was wearing a nylon zip-fronted black, light blue and white striped jacket with the words "RIP Curl" on the back in the period before his death. He was also wearing blue jeans and jandals.
Mr McHattie said police were investigating the death as if it were a homicide as the circumstances around his death were still unclear.
Mr Wallace had lived in Huntly, Hamilton and Auckland in the months before he died. He had at various times of his life been in the care of mental health services, including the weeks before his death.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Auckland police.
- NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB, NZ HERALD STAFF
