Police Statement Regarding Carmen Thomas

At a media briefing near the site that Operation Keppel staff have been working at for the past three days, Detective Inspector Mark Benefield made the following statement to media at the Scenic Drive access to the Incline Track walkway shortly after 4pm today:

“ESR scientists and the Specialist Search Group have assisted my staff today to remove what we believe to be Carmen Thomas’s remains from a crude burial site in the bush behind me.

We have arranged for Carmen to be transported to the mortuary in a hearse and we are hoping that a post-mortem examination will get underway tomorrow or Monday. I expect the post-mortem will take some days to complete.

The site excavation has had to be carried out sensitively and with great care. We have removed several plastic containers from the site and will obviously be submitting those to the ESR for examination. Carmen was in plastic containers.

The site was blessed by local kaumatua this afternoon and will be closed to the public until we have completed our full examination of it.

A member of my staff has had regular contact with Carmen’s mother since we discovered her remains late yesterday afternoon. She has asked us to request that media give her some privacy and time to adjust to the news.

The Waitakere Regional Park Ranger and his staff have been very helpful which is greatly appreciated.

I don’t anticipate there will be anything further that I can report to media tomorrow or even on Monday.”

Mr Benefield added that the investigation was far from over and did not rule out the possibility of making further arrests.

ENDS

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