Body in river was Marie Davis police
April 18th, 2008, 7:51 pm Hobbies News
The officer heading the inquiry, Detective Senior Sergeant Virginia Le Bas, this afternoon saidthatearly indications were that thebody was that of the missing Papanui High School student.
Le Bas said thata formal identification was still to be made, and that process was continuing.
Davis, 15, was last seen at her Bishopdale home on April 5.
Police still want to hear from members of the public who may have seen or heard anything suspicious on Saturday April 5 or the early hours of Sunday April 6.
Le Bas said police were keeping their minds open about a number of %26quot;scenarios and continued to talk to %26quot;persons of interest.
This includes one that Davis left her home with someone she knew.
She would not comment on whether any arrests were imminent.
Hope turned to grief
After 12 days of %26quot;anger and hope and now grief%26quot;, the family of a missing Christchurch teenager last night was fearing the loss of the %26quot;most awesome person%26quot;.
The body was found by police divers about 3km upstream from the motorway bridge.
Maries elder sister, Amy, said last night she would miss her sister, who was %26quot;one of the nicest, greatest and most awesome persons around%26quot;.
%26quot;I love her very much and Im going to miss her and wish that she was still around,%26quot; she said.
%26quot;I hope this person or people will be caught.
%26quot;If anyone has any information, please come forward.%26quot;
Outside the Papanui home where Marie was last seen on April 5, cousin and family spokesman Nick Donald said: %26quot;We are just supporting each other and helping each other through. Thats all we can really do at the moment.
%26quot;Weve got friends and family over to help.
%26quot;You go through different stages throughout the whole process of wondering why, and anger and hope, and now I think its grief.%26quot;
Donald said that throughout the search %26quot;youve got in the back of your mind, `I hope shes still alive, but after what they found today, its not looking very good at all%26quot;.
He appealed for anyone who knew about Maries death to come forward.
%26quot;The sooner they come forward the better — for themselves and for us. Someone out there knows something,%26quot; he said.
Donald said the family still did not know whether Marie had left home by her own accord or was taken.
A section on the north bank of the Waimakariri River, about 8km upstream from the motorway bridge, which was cordoned on Tuesday, was bustling with police and forensic experts yesterday.
Last night, police would not confirm reports they had found Maries missing green bag in the area.
In contrast to the day before, when there was one security guard at the site, about 10 officers were scouring the tennis court-sized area.
Search teams paid special attention to forest either side of the area, searching the undergrowth in a line with machetes and sickles. Tracking dogs were also used.
About noon the officer in charge of the Emma Agnew murder case last year, Detective Inspector Tom Fitzgerald, arrived at the scene.
Police also paid particular attention to a stretch of river about 5km further downstream, near a large mound of mined gravel.
A policeman was standing in the middle of a broad, shallow stretch of the river.
A black hearse was seen leaving the area.
The crime scene further upriver backed on to the paddocks of a farm.
The owner of the farm, Michael Brown, said he had not noticed anything on the Saturday that Marie disappeared, but cars using the road were %26quot;fairly continual%26quot;.
Two motocross riders who stumbled across the police scene also said the area was well-used by mountainbikers, four-wheel-drive enthusiasts and motorcyclists.
%26quot;It is a little bit of a shock to think it has happened so close to home,%26quot; Brown said.
Donald said the family had been overwhelmed by support from the public.
%26quot;Theres a lot of violence and things out there, but you dont realise how close it has brought the community together,%26quot; he said.
%26quot;We have had lots of businesses helping and people out of the blue.
%26quot;Someone jumped from behind a (shopping) counter the other day and gave me a hug.%26quot;
The officer heading the inquiry, Detective Senior Sergeant Virginia Le Bas, said police would continue searching the river and surrounding areas upstream of the motorway bridge today.
Police were receiving a steady stream of information, including a tip-off from a member of the public guiding police to search the Waimakariri River.
Papanui High School principal Denis Pyatt said the school would hold assemblies today in recognition of Marie.
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