Denver Chance murder accused named as Jay Christopher Lingman

Jay Lingman stands in the dock at the Auckland High Court, charged with the murder of Denver Chance. Photo / RNZ

The man charged with Denver Chance's murder has pleaded not guilty.

Jay Christopher Lingman, 41, appeared in Auckland High Court this morning charged with the murder of Chance. He was represented by defence lawyer Steven Lack.

Lingman appeared before Justice Simon Moore and plead not guilty to murdering Chance.

Lingman first appeared in the Papakura District Court on March 11 and was granted interim name suppression. That lapsed today.

He was remanded in custody and is due to appear at a trial in May next year.

Chance's body was found at a property south of Auckland on March 10.

The grisly find marked the end of a missing person inquiry and the start of a homicide investigation.

A 41-year-old man was arrested by police outside a Mt Eden bar just after 7pm, following a search of an address in Kingseat.

Chance went missing on February 24 when he left his rental property around 3.30pm in Mairangi Bay, sparking a police investigation into his whereabouts.

He was described as a "busy entrepreneur with quite a few businesses" and had been "extremely positive, happy and upbeat".

When he was first reported missing his large group of friends and family mobilised to help police with the search.

His sisters flew back to New Zealand from Australia and the US to assist police.