The body of a 13-year-old boy who went missing after jumping off a bridge in Huntly has been found.
Zharian Watkins went missing after jumping from the 10-metre-high Tainui Bridge into the Waikato River on Friday. He was with friends and failed to resurface.
Jimi Hunt has been paddling the river on a lilo to raise awareness about depression and was present when Mr Watkin’s body was spotted.
He told RadioLIVE he believes Mr Watkin’s body was discovered by the boy’s uncle, 20-30 metres out from the bank, 200 metres down river from the Huntly Powerstation.
The family had refused to give up despite the official search being suspended.
His death has been reported to the Waikato Coroner.
3 News