A post-mortem was held yesterday to help determine the cause of death but Warner said police would like to hear from anyone who noticed suspicious activity in the area on Friday.
Warner said officers searched a residential address in Mill Lane, Hamilton, as part of the homicide investigation.
Bay of Plenty and Waikato police were working together on the case.
Margaret Murray-Benge, who represents the Kaimai Ward on the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, said the death was a tragedy.
''There seems to be a lot of anti-social behaviour going on at the moment, which is a real worry for police.''
She said the discovery of the body was heartbreaking and Paterson's family would be in turmoil.
Murray-Benge said the body was found in an area that was one of the Bay's beauty spots.
''So many people go there - they love it.''
A local woman at McLaren Falls yesterday said despite the area's beauty, there seemed to have a lot of deaths there.
The woman, who would not be identified, said the deaths did not deter visitors to the area, which she was glad of.
In 2015 two Indian cousins, 26-year-old Maninder Singh from Tauranga and 24-year-old Jagdeep Singh, known as Gary, from Gisborne, drowned at a swimming spot near McLaren Falls.
In 2014, Muhammad Jawad drowned at McLaren Falls while visiting from Auckland.
In 2006, psychics on Sensing Murder suggested missing woman Luana Williams was buried at McLaren Falls. Archaeologists investigated and found three skeletons buried at the site but they were not Williams.
In 2005, Natasha Hayden was strangled to death at McLaren Falls by Tauranga man Michael Curran.
If anyone believes they might have information which could help, they are asked to contact the Tauranga police station on 07 577 4300 or talk anonymously via the Crimestoppers phone line 0800 555 111.
* An earlier version of this article incorrectly named the missing woman psychics believed was buried at McLaren Falls as Luana Noble. It is, in fact, Luana Williams. We apologise for the error.
