Denver Chance to be farewelled by friends and family on Sunday

Police say their focus throughout the investigation has been on finding Denver Chance "and being able to provide his family with answers". Photo / Supplied

Friends and family will farewell Denver Chance who was found dead on Sunday afternoon.

The 43-year-old went missing on February 24, sparking a police investigation into his whereabouts.

However, police are believed to have found his body in a Kingseat address around 4pm on Sunday, arresting a man in Mount Eden around 7pm in connection with his murder.

This afternoon a Facebook event titled Celebration of Life - Denver Chance was shared on the Help find Denver Facebook page.

"The celebration of life for Denver Chance is on Sunday 17th March at 10.30am Woodlands Historical Homestead, Hamilton," the event reads.

"Please we ask for family, friends of family and known friends of Denver only."

Following the announcement of police discovering the body, the family thanked everyone for their support after two weeks of searching and public appeals.

"It's been amazing. We are devastated with the outcome," they wrote on the Help find Denver Facebook page.

"Family and friends will now regroup and thank you for the privacy at this difficult time."

Chance's alleged killer has been remanded in custody until his next appearance in Auckland's High Court on March 27.

The 41-year-old Kingseat man was arrested shortly after 7pm in Mount Eden on Sunday afternoon and was granted interim name suppression.

A number of his supporters were in Papakura District Court yesterday morning when the accused appeared before Community Magistrate Lauolefale Lemalu.

The cordon on Sunday outside the Kingseat property where Denver Chance's body was believed to have been found. Photo / Jason Oxenham

She said the accused's first appearance should have been before a judge as she only had the jurisdiction to remand him in custody.

She agreed to grant interim suppression and also suppressed the information contained in the police summary of facts.

Chance first went missing on Sunday, February 24, when he left his rental property around 3.30pm in Mairangi Bay.

While the body found in Kingseat has not been formally identified, police believe it to be the missing 43-year-old man's.

"Our thoughts are with Denver's friends and family tonight," Detective Senior Sergeant Megan Goldie said on Sunday evening.

"Our focus throughout the investigation was finding Denver and being able to provide his family with answers.

"This is not the outcome any of us wanted, but at least we are now able to return Denver to his family and hold the person allegedly responsible for his death to account."