A 26-year-old man has been charged with the murder of missing British backpacker Grace Millane, New Zealand Police have said.
Grace Millane disappeared in Auckland on the 1st of December, Police ended their search on Sunday when her body was found on the outskirts of the city.
Det Insp Beard said: “unbearable time for the Millane family and our hearts go out to them”.
“Any father, any parent in this situation will struggle,” Det Insp Beard said.
“We’re putting a lot of support around him [Grace’s father]. It’s difficult because he’s here with a brother from England and the rest of the family are back home.”
An appeal was put out for a red Toyota Corolla rental car which had been hired by the man the day after grace was seen alive, Police would like to hear from anyone who travelled along Scenic Drive on Monday 3 December, between 6am and 9.30am. It is reported that it was likely to have been killed on the 1st or 2nd of December.
Police have not confirmed how the pair met but court documents showed he had been living at the Citylife Hotel on Queen Street in central Auckland, which is where Miss Millane was last seen. Grace did message her friend on the day of her disappearance to say “I’m going to see a friend” and others saying she was going to meet a guy.
The man charged for her murder told police that she was “no longer alive”. A post-mortem is to be carried out to find out her cause of death.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern said: “From the Kiwis I have spoken to there is this overwhelming sense of hurt and shame that this has happened in our country, a place that prides itself on our hospitality… especially to those who are visiting our shores.
“On behalf of New Zealand, I would like to apologise to Grace’s family, your daughter should have been safe here and she wasn’t and I’m sorry for that.
“My thoughts and prayers are with her father David who is in the country, and her mother who cannot be here, and her wider family and friends and loved ones.”
Grace’s The 22-year-old’s brother wrote: “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey.
“You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”
Hundreds have shown support to the family on social media, many have reacted to her brothers post writing messages of love and sympathy.
Mr Millane, from Wickford, Essex, said: “Grace is a lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-orientated daughter. Grace has never been out of contact for this amount of time.
“She’s usually in daily contact with either her mother, myself, her two brothers or members of the family on social media. We have been extremely concerned for her welfare.
“We are all extremely upset and it is very difficult at this time to fully describe the range of emotions we are all going through.”
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