A blackened corpse in a burned-out car was the focus of a murder investigation in Hawke's Bay last night.
The grisly find came about 4pm yesterday, sending police officers rushing to Dartmoor Rd in Puketapu, 15 minutes' drive from Taradale.
A passer-by called police after spotting the car hidden in bush by a river. One witness believed the car had been left there for three to four days, and said it had been severely damaged.
A spokeswoman for Napier police said a cordon had been placed around the car to preserve clues. A specialist forensic team was examining the area as bad weather threatened.
Heavy weather over the past 36 hours had left concerns over how much forensic evidence was left at the scene.
The body inside the car was badly damaged. The spokeswoman was not able to say whether the dead person was male or female.
- HAWKE'S BAY TODAY
Corpse in burned car
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