KEY POINTS:
Police trying to identify skeletal remains found in West Auckland bush last Sunday plan to look at records of cars towed from a nearby visitors' centre.
They are also trying to identify a set of keys found near the skeleton, of a man believed to be in his 40s.
The remains were found by pig hunters a few hundred metres from the Arataki Information Centre in the Waitakere Ranges. Police said yesterday that the man would have had "a mindset" to get through the dense bush to where he was found.
Detective Sergeant Roger Small from Waitakere CIB said it took more than a day to search the area for clues.
The car key was a copy and would be examined by an expert to try to establish the make and model of car it fitted.
Mr Small confirmed police were not looking for anyone else and the death was not suspicious.
The body could have been in the bush for up to 20 years.
"There are some other items we are trying to get dated which we found among property in the bush so we might get a more accurate picture once we have got results from those."
Mr Small said a post-mortem examination revealed the man was a smoker, probably in his 40s and probably European, although he could not rule out that the deceased might have been part-Maori. He was strongly built and about 172cm tall.
Mr Small said if a timeframe could be put on the items found with the body, police might be able to narrow down the time the man went into the bush to within two or three years.
If the man had parked his vehicle nearby it would have been towed years ago and police would look at records of towed vehicles once they had a better indication of the time.
The skeleton was found several hundred metres into dense bush and it would have taken some effort to get to where he was found.
Mr Small said anyone with information could call him at the Henderson police. "They may well have the essential clue which will help identify this deceased man so that his remains can be buried with dignity."
- NZPA
