18 January 2008
A post-mortem is currently being carried out to establish the cause of death of a 26-year-old British woman who died in Taupo yesterday.
She was Karen Elizabeth Aim from the Orkney Islands, Scotland.
Additional staff from the Waikato, Rotorua, Tauranga and Eastern Police District have been brought in to bolster the Operation Waikato staff numbers.
In addition a Specialist Search Team has arrived from Auckland and their counterparts from Wellington are expected later today.
Enquiry head, Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner has spoken to family of the dead woman overnight and Police are also speaking to relatives in the Manawatu.
"It would be fair to say that they were devastated by the news," he said.
Police have also interviewed the woman's flatmates as part of their homicide enquiry.
A scene examination was carried out overnight and an area canvas is continuing.
"A major focus of the enquiry will be a hotel phase where we will be speaking to bar patrons tonight to try and gather as much information as possible," said Mr Turner.
Further enquiries showed the dead woman had visited a number of bars in Taupo on Wednesday night prior to being found critically injured on Waikato St shortly after 2am yesterday.
"We've established she was drinking in Mulligan's Bar and has gone on to the Holy Cow and then Element bars and we are going through security footage from those premises now and from cameras in other areas in town."
Police want to speak to anyone around the country who may have been visiting the Taupo area and visited the bars mentioned that has since left on tour buses or by other means.
"We're particularly aware of the fluctuation of tourists into the area but need to speak to anyone who may think they have something to add from their time in Taupo no matter where they are now," said Mr Turner.
"This is a massive whodunit but we have the skills and the resources here to see this investigation through to a successful conclusion."
End