By ELEANOR BLACK
A bloody newspaper marks the spot at the edge of Lake Whakamaru, near Mangakino, where a man's body was found yesterday morning, launching a homicide inquiry.
The man, aged about 30, was the victim of a violent attack and is believed to have struggled before being killed in
a car layby known as the Dunham Creek Reserve some time on Monday night or yesterday morning.
He is yet to be identified.
He was found about 11 am after a Tokoroa hunter searching the area for his lost dog spotted pools of blood in the gravel parking area.
The man was lying just below the surface of the water.
He was wearing an old suit, a T-shirt and a pair of brown cowboy boots.
A cheap plastic bag and a copy of Monday's newspaper, covered in blood, lay on the bank nearby and bloodstains were spread over an area of about 5 sq m.
"He has been subjected to a violent death. We are confident there has been a very severe, violent attack," said Detective Inspector Graham Bell, leading the investigation.
He could not say whether a weapon had been used.
Police are checking missing person's records and making inquiries focused on a triangular area from Taupo north to Tokoroa and southwest to Mangakino.
The body was taken from the scene at 4.30 pm for forensic testing.
Several items labelled with a man's name were found at the Jim Currie Reserve near Kinleith yesterday and could be connected to the murder, said Mr Bell.
The murder scene, just off a quiet stretch of State Highway 30 bordered by pine trees and still water, is about 5km southeast of Whakamaru Village and less than 1km south of the Lake Whakamaru Christian Youth Camp.
People in the tightknit village of 200 were shocked by the discovery and said they had no idea who the dead man might be.
"We haven't heard of anyone missing. Usually it's hot news," said a longtime resident who did not wish to be named.
"[The scene] is a pretty good pot- growing area."
Another woman said her family often used the reserve as a picnic spot in summer because of its views of the lake, but would probably now avoid it.
Police were guarding the scene overnight and were to begin a fullscale investigation this morning.
They want to hear from anyone who drove past the Dunham Creek Reserve on Monday night or early yesterday morning or saw anything suspicious in Taupo, Tokoroa or Mangakino.
By ELEANOR BLACK
A bloody newspaper marks the spot at the edge of Lake Whakamaru, near Mangakino, where a man's body was found yesterday morning, launching a homicide inquiry.
The man, aged about 30, was the victim of a violent attack and is believed to have struggled before being killed in
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.