: Northland District: Northland

The operation Matthews homicide investigation is into day three for Police.

Detective Inspector Malthus, Northland Crime Manager, advises that the scene examination is near completion, with forensic mapping of the scene being completed today. It is anticipated that the scene will be released to the next of kin tomorrow.

The post-mortem was completed on Friday, and the victim's body has been released to next of kin. A funeral is to be held at 1pm Tuesday at the Broadwood Community Centre (near Mangamuka).

Police interviews of key people identified through area canvassing and general enquiry work will continue over the coming days.

Detective Inspector Malthus states that Police will not be drawn on commenting any further about the status of the suspect currently held in custody, nor will Police be releasing any information about the results of the post-mortem or the results of the scene examination.

The Police investigation team would like to thank members of the community for their support and assistance these last few days, and would like to say a special thanks to Kaitaia Victim Support for providing their special services and opening their doors to the wider community upon realising the needs of people who knew the victim, and who were devastated by her murder.

ends

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