By Rachel Morton
The family of a man found dead on the side of the road in Hamilton are pleading for anyone with information about his death to come forward.
Donald Stewart's body was found by a street sweeper on Sunday morning.
Police want to know why the Wellington man was in Hamilton and how his car ended up at the wrecker's.
Mr Stewart's daughter Tracey was too upset to speak at a news conference today. She left it to her uncle - the dead man's brother.
"We're absolutely shattered," says Gordon Stewart. "We feel it's just such a terrible way for our brother to have died."
Mr Stewart's body was discovered by a street sweeper near public toilets in central Hamilton early on Sunday morning. The 74-year-old's family last heard from him 10 days before his death - he'd sent his daughter a letter from his Wellington home.
His family says he often went on road trips.
"He was very good at maintaining friendships with people from school days and folk that he knew from Taumaranui, King Country and also many friends that he'd made over the years," says Gordon Stewart.
About 30 police officers are working on the case. Their investigation is now focused on Mr Stewart's white Peugeot. It was found seven kilometres from the scene, but when police went to recover it, it had been moved to a scrap yard and crushed.
"With the use of the fire service and ESR scientists we are in the process of reconstructing that vehicle and carrying out forensic examination of it," says Det Insp Lance Burett.
The results of that examination could take weeks. In the meantime police are asking for any sightings of the car.
3 News