Ōtorohanga farmer’s shock after human skeleton found in bush near SH3

Human remains were found off SH3 between Te Awamutu and Ōtorohanga in the Waikato. Photo / Google Maps

An Ōtorohanga farmer was shocked when she and a group of weed controllers stumbled across a human skeleton in an area of privet bush near State Highway 3 yesterday morning.

Police are investigating the remains, found between Ōtorohanga and Te Awamutu.

Clare Douglas said she and about six others were cutting down privet trees near the highway, when the others called to her that they’d found a body.

She said she initially didn’t believe it, until she saw for herself.

“The group was all huddled together, and I went over and said ‘get back to work’, and saw the body lying there ... took me a couple of minutes to realise what it was and what we should do, and so yeah, I called the police,” she said.

“It didn’t feel real to me, and even now it feels surreal, I’ve been in shock all day,” she added.

Douglas said the skeleton was clothed and had work boots on.

“At least there’ll be some closure hopefully for a family, finding their loved one, hopefully,” she said.

Douglas’ husband’s family had lived in the area for four generations, and she said her in-laws recalled that theprivet trees have only been trimmed down once by the transport agency in the past 30 years.

She said the trees are now about 30 metres tall, and that prompted her to start doing some weed control in the area.

Police said they are in the very early stages of the investigation, and are unable to share any further information.

- RNZ