Police investigating at the apartment building on Day St, Auckland, on Monday where Luisa Mate was found dead on the weekend. Photo / Dean Purcell
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said “our thoughts are with Luisa’s family and her children, for the loss they have suffered, and our investigation team is continuing to support them through the process”.
He confirmed to the Herald, “initial results from the post-mortem show the victim suffered a stabbing injury”.
A GoFundMe page set up by Mate’s brother, Semi said she “was the oldest of four siblings, a loving mother to her two beautiful boys, and a dedicated professional who worked hard to provide them with a better life”.
“Through her hard work and determination, she was able to take her family overseas, always striving to give them the best opportunities possible.
“She was a light to everyone who knew her caring, strong, and full of love.”
Luisa Mate's family have set up a fundraising page to help cover the costs of bringing her body to Fiji, plus funeral arrangements and related expenses. Photo / GoFundMe
“The costs of repatriation, funeral arrangements, and related expenses are far beyond what our family can manage on our own.”
Mate’s life was “tragically taken from us far too soon, as she was the victim of a senseless act of violence”, the page said.
When the Herald spoke to apartment building residents on Monday, they said police had been at the site since Mate was found.
Police remove items from the apartments on Day St, Auckland, where Luisa Mate was found dead. Photo / Dean Purcell
A French national living in the building for two weeks said he had run into officers at 2am, heading to his job as a baker.
It is not uncommon to see unmarked police cars, and emergency services with people gathered “for obvious reasons,” one resident said.
“We’ve got a hotel up there that’s, you know, a halfway house and it’s off K(arangahape) Rd, so it’s pretty active.”
