A bone located in the Otira area last year has been identified as belonging to a person who is believed to have gone missing in 2020.

On 18 January 2024, a member of the public contacted Police after finding a bone in the Otira area.

The bone has since been examined by a Pathologist, Anthropologist, and ESR scientists as we worked to identify the age of the bone and who it belonged to.

Following the examination by ESR Scientists the bone has now been confirmed as further remains of missing person Marni Sheppeard, who was last heard from in November 2020.

In 2021, Marni's partial remains were located in the Rolleston River area following an extensive search involving LandSAR volunteers and Police, two CanyonSar teams, Alpine Cliff Rescue, two police dog units and a LandSAR dog team which were deployed into the area by Precision Helicopters.

Police have since spoken with Marni's mother and informed her of the finding.

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