Police hope people returning from the summer holidays can help them to solve the mystery over the identity of a woman whose body was found in a river more than a week ago.
The woman's body was found in the Wairoa River, near the township of Clevedon, south
of Auckland, on January 20.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Gutry said today that the inquiry team was still trying to find out who she was.
The length of time being taken to discover her identity was unusual, but Mr Gutry said there could be a number of reasons for that.
"A possible reason is that people are still away on holiday," he said.
"Probably over the next couple of weeks, we will be able to identify who she is."
The woman was wearing a dark T-shirt with stripes around the neck and sleeves, and incontinence pants when her body was found.
A post-mortem examination revealed she was dead when she was placed in the river and her body had been there for about a week before it was found by a kayaker.
She was described as between 30 and 50, 1.55m tall, about 45 to 50kg in weight and having black hair below her shoulders.
She was missing two front teeth, which she was believed to have lost well before her death, was a heavy smoker and had had children in the past.
Mr Gutry said police were continuing to canvass residents in the area and review missing persons files.
Police have set up a phone line for people with information to call - 0800 RIVER1, or 0800 748371 - and Mr Gutry said the public response had been pleasing.
"We've had a good lot of calls, some nominating people and others talking about suspicious activity in the area," he said.
"We're working through all the information that is coming through."
- NZPA
