Please attribute to Detective Inspector Joel Syme:
Police have charged a man with murder after a woman was found deceased at a Mt Pleasant address on Monday evening.
Emergency services were called to the address around 5pm on 7 October and following initial enquiries a homicide investigation was initiated. Police are now working to establish exactly what has occurred however we can confirm that we are not seeking anyone else in relation to this matter.
Yesterday evening Police located and arrested a Christchurch man aged in his 70s and he is expected to appear this morning in the Christchurch District Court charged with murder.
The investigation is in its early stages and Police are seeking to establish the movements of both the victim and the person charged in the lead up to her death. We are very keen to hear from anyone who heard or saw anything suspicious between 10am on Friday 4 October to 4pm on Sunday 6 October in the Mt Pleasant Road or Bellview Terrace area.
Police and ESR are carrying out a forensic examination of the woman’s address and this is expected to continue over the coming days.
A post mortem is still to be conducted however next-of-kin notifications are underway.
Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family at this extremely difficult time.
Police, along with Victim Support will be working with the family to ensure they are supported.
We would ask anyone who has information that may assist the investigation team to please update us online now or call 105.
Please use the reference number 241007/1228.
ENDS
Issued by the Police Media Centre