Details of arrests, made months after a mystery woman’s body was found in a rubbish bag in the water north of Auckland, can now be reported.
Two people were charged with interfering with human remains. Police said they were notified late on Sunday that the pair were trying to leave the country and were arrested.
Details of arrests, made months after a mystery woman’s body was found in a rubbish bag in the water north of Auckland, can now be reported.
They first appeared in court on Monday. They have not been charged with causing her death.
The victim has not been identified.
Despite a press release being issued by the police, moves were then made in court to stop details about the case from being published.
A take-down notice was issued to media.
At another hearing today, publishing details of the arrests and first court appearance was allowed.
The pair, who live in Auckland and are both in their 30s, have also had their bid for continued name suppression declined by the judge.
She did not agree with their lawyer that their names becoming public would affect their fair trial rights.
However, their names cannot be reported until an opportunity for them to appeal against that ruling is over.
Searching for an identity
The woman’s pyjama-clad body was pulled from the water by a fisherman on March 12, sparking a homicide investigation.
Police revealed in May the woman’s DNA had been tested in efforts to identify her — with the profile unable to be matched to “anyone in our records in New Zealand”.
Investigators were working with a number of experts including a forensic odontologist (who studied the structure and diseases of teeth), forensic anthropologists, the pathologist, and the Institute of Environmental Science and Research.
“These, alongside genealogy testing for unidentified deceased persons, have outlined that it is highly likely the woman is of Chinese descent,” Acting Detective Inspector Tim Williams said at the time.
“We have also received advice she was likely aged between her early 30s to early 50s.”
He said the woman was “of a very slight build” and — at some point in her life — she had her gallbladder removed.
A “black notice” was issued through Interpol in April. A black notice is used to seek information on unidentified bodies.