Body find brings search to sad end

The search for Mabel Jamieson has ended with tears, relief and unease from two Rotorua residents who have spent the past week unknowingly living metres from her body.

Mabel, a partially blind 79-year-old, was found dead by a team of searchers going door-to-door along Amohau St, opposite the skate park, just before 6pm last night.

After asking permission to search the yard of Beverly Te Hau's home, a searcher found Mabel's body in long grass between a garage and bushes on her property's boundary.

Detective Sergeant John Wilson said although a post mortem was yet to be carried out, foul play was not suspected. Mr Wilson, who has led the search, said it was thought Mabel had set off from her Larch St home on Tuesday morning to Parksyde Older Person's Community Centre on Tarewa Rd as planned but had taken a wrong turn.

It is then suspected she has ended up next to the garage on Ms Te Hau's property where she could have died from hypothermia. Mr Wilson said police and Mabel's family had realised her chances of survival were slim.

"We were starting to reach that point of 'where do we look next?'."

Mr Wilson said he could not thank enough his search and rescue team, volunteers, Mabel's family and the Daily Post for helping.

"Finding her is all thanks to those people who have worked so hard and persevered. There are an awful lot of people who haven't had much sleep in the past five days."

Mr Wilson said Ms Te Hau's house had been searched at the end of last week but Mabel was in an area that could have easily been missed.

Meanwhile, Ms Te Hau did not even know Mabel was missing until yesterday afternoon and was staggered when the body was found on her property. Ms Te Hau said it made sense to her now as her dog, Bouncer, had been acting strange.

"He wouldn't go outside and then when he went outside he wouldn't come back in. He was just acting strange as if someone had been here."

She said the situation made her feel uneasy and a little sick in her stomach. She said she would feel better once a Maori tohunga (priest) had blessed her property today.

"I'm kicking myself I didn't find her first ... those ladies who found her, they are angels. I hope the family can grieve now they know where she is."

Mabel's body was metres from a neighbour's front door. The resident, who only wanted to be known as Donna, said she felt uneasy knowing the body had been so close. "I knew she was missing but I didn't think she'd be around this area because I thought it was Old Taupo Rd."

Meanwhile, Mr Wilson said Mabel's family were last night devastated that their worst nightmares had come true.

He said the search had become personal for a lot of the police and volunteers who were desperate to find her.

"We are all pretty upset really. But the family is happy we have managed to reunite them with Mabel."