The family of a man whose body was found in the Waikato River last week are calling for an independent probe into his death amidst claims he is the victim of "medical and bureaucratic malpractice".
Nicholas Taiaroa Stevens, 21, the son of Hamilton City councillor Dave Macpherson, was found dead on Thursday - three days after he was reported missing from a Waikato Hospital mental health care facility.
His distraught family said they were contacted by Waikato Hospital the day after his body was found to say it was conducting an internal investigation into "service and care delivery issues" that the family had raised before his death was confirmed.
But parents Jane and Dave Stevens, and brother Tony, said they would not take part in "a sham investigation". "We demand a complete, independent investigation run totally outside Waikato Hospital, where the family has opportunity for input at all stages," the family said in a statement today.
Mr Stevens was being cared for at the hospital under a compulsory care order under the Mental Health Act.