Canterbury Police have received the DNA results relating to the human remains recovered from the Tasman Glacier area of Mt Cook in mid February 2015. They have been confirmed as belonging to 19 year old David Erik Moen.
A Coroner’s Inquest has previously been held into the death and Coroner Crerar is considering whether or not this should be reopened.
David was climbing with a acquaintance he met in Mt Cook Village when they were reported to have been caught in an avalanche on 16 September 1973. A plaque has been placed on a memorial in Mt Cook village in his memory.
Canterbury Police Area Commander, Inspector Dave Gaskin says “We are pleased that we have been able to return David to his immediate family. He was lost in tragic circumstances doing a sport he loved. Canterbury Police will continue to support David’s family as they come to terms with David being returned to them over 41 years after he went missing.”
David’s family do not wish to give any interviews but have provided the following statement and a photograph much loved by the family
“We cannot put into words what it feels like to have David returned to us after all this time but we are taken back to when he first went missing back in 1973. We are a very close family and losing David so unexpectedly was really hard on us all and his loss was felt enormously by us and his friends. David was friendly with everyone and lived life to the full. He had an infectious sense of humour and was always smiling. David shared his love of the outdoors with other members of the family. He learned to climb at school where he was a Queens Scout and continued to learn and hone his climbing skills. He was a great outdoorsman making his loss that much harder to comprehend.
We are very grateful for the support of our family and friends, particularly while the remains were being identified and we just didn’t know whether it was David or not. It has been a very difficult process for everyone involved and we would like to thank Canterbury Police who have been extremely supportive, respectful and compassionate and this has brought us great comfort, knowing they were there for us.
David’s spirit still remains in the beautiful, peaceful environment which claimed the life of a wonderful and dearly loved young man in the prime of his life”
Inspector Gaskin said another set of historic remains were found near the Hochstetter Glacier at the start of March 2015. “it may be some time until the second set of remains can be formally identified.”
ENDS
Issued by: Lisa-Marie Brooks, District Communications Manager, Canterbury Police District. Mobile: 021 942 404
