A body found on Thursday has been formally identified as missing Hamilton woman Rae Portman.
At Manukau Police Station yesterday morning, police announced they had found the body at 550 Papakura Clevedon Rd in Ardmore.
“The body was found at the rear of the rural property and was covered over,” said Detective Inspector Mark Gutry.
A 32-year-old man has been charged with kidnapping Ms Portman, and he made his first appearance in Papakura District Court on Thursday.
He has been granted interim name suppression.
Police have indicated that more charges are likely to follow. They are treating the case as a homicide.
Ms Portman, 33, was last seen on June 20 when she drove her VW Passat from Hamilton to Auckland and checked into a Mt Albert motel.
Ms Portman is believed to have been involved in the drugs scene.
Her mother made an emotional appeal for information on her whereabouts in early September but police said two weeks later that they believed she was dead and were treating her disappearance as a homicide.
NZN/3 News