Discovery of missing body 'closure' for family

Trevor Smith

A body discovered near the Waikato River in Hamilton on Sunday was that of missing Kawhia man Trevor Smith, his family say.

The 70-year-old was found by a member of the public near the river's edge three weeks after he wandered off while visiting a sick relative in Waikato Hospital. The last confirmed sighting of Mr Smith, who had mild dementia and diabetes, was on Peacockes Rd - a short walk from the area where his body was found.

Rotorua engineer Peter Low was among the up to 50 people searching every day. He is stepfather to Mr Smith's grandchildren. He posted a message on the Rotorua Daily Post Facebook page thanking everyone for their support.

"Thank you to all those who took the time to keep an eye out for missing man Trevor Smith," Mr Low wrote on Sunday evening.

"He was found this afternoon in Hamilton. Unfortunately he had passed away."

Senior Sergeant Gael Mockford said the body was reported to police by a member of the public on Sunday afternoon.

Police were in the process of identifying the body.

Security camera images taken at the hospital showed Mr Smith walking away from the entrance on Pembroke St on March 16.

His whanau members from Kawhia, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Auckland scoured the city in a vain search for him.

His brother, Steve Smith, said the body that was found was that of his brother and that he had fallen about four metres down a steep bank.

"It is sad, but it is closure for the whanau," said Mr Smith.

"It has been three weeks to the day that he went missing - it was pretty near to the hour when they found him.

"It's not a good outcome obviously, but it is closure."

Mr Smith said that after police had finished their formal identification process, his brother would be taken back to Rakaunui Marae in Kawhia for his tangi.

He said he was grateful to whanau members and strangers who had helped search for his brother. additional reporting APNZ