New Plymouth Homicide Investigation - Operation Lucy

OPERATION LUCY

New Plymouth Police are conducting a homicide investigation after the body of a young woman was found in an area known as Lucy's Gully between Oakura and Okato at about 5 pm on Tuesday 20 September 2005.

The cause of death is unknown, but it appears she has been stabbed. ESR Scientists are conducting a scene examination of the area and a Post Mortem examination will be conducted on 22 September 2005.

The Police have some knowledge of who she is although we are unable to confirm her identity at this point. Her name cannot and will not be released until that identity has been confirmed, she has been formally identified and her family notified. It is thought she could be German.

The Police believe that she left Wanganui on Tuesday 20 September at 8.30 a.m. where she began hitchhiking on Great North Road. She was given a ride to Waitotara and was last seen there at 9.15 a.m. To date that is the last confirmed sighting of her until she was found at Lucy's Gully.

Police are appealing to the public for sightings of this young woman between Wanganui and Lucy's Gully anytime on 20 September 2005 and are most interested in sightings of her on State Highway 3, State Highway 45 and in particular Lucy's Gully.

The description is as follows:

Female Caucasian aged in her mid 20's of slight build. She is approximately 5'9" – 5' 10" (173-175cm). She has shoulder length black hair that may have been tied up and she may have been wearing glasses.

Clothing:

She was wearing blue denim jeans, a green jersey/top and possibly a windbreaker jacket. She was wearing tramping boots and she would have had a large dark coloured back pack with her and a smaller dark coloured back pack.

Anyone with any information please contact New Plymouth Police on 7595500 or phone: 0800 CRIMESTOP (0800 274637)

Grant Coward

DETECTIVE SENIOR SERGEANT

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