Gulf Harbour body in bag homicide: Police yet to identify victim five days after she was pulled from water

Five days after a woman’s body was found wrapped in plastic and floating in water at Gulf Harbour, police are yet to identify the victim or arrest anyone in connection with her death.

A team of investigators assigned to the case are combing through evidence and assessing pieces of information and CCTV footage provided by the public in a bid to uncover the woman’s identity and try to figure out how and when she died.

A police spokesperson said there were no further updates available on Sunday, but updates would continue to provided proactively as the investigation allowed.

Five days ago, a retiree out fishing, Paul Middleton, discovered the grisly remains of a woman in the water – since then, no one has come forward to identify her.

“I [cast] my lure out ... and nothing much was happening, but there was a bag out there,” he told Radio New Zealand.

“Anything floating in the water brings fish around, so I was targeting it,” he said.

Police have released photos of blue pyjama bottoms with a pattern on them as well as an emblem of a singlet a woman was wearing when was found in Gulf Harbour. Photos / Michael Craig / Police

Unwrapping the plastic bags, he discovered a human hand and contacted police, who descended on the area and set up cordons.

Clad in pyjamas and a singlet, police have established she was small-statured, Asian, possibly Chinese, and about 160cm tall.

Her age is yet to be determined, but police say she’s likely “middle-aged” and not a child or teenager.

Acting Detective Inspector Tim Williams has dismissed any speculation the woman was Yanfei Bao, a real estate agent who went missing in Christchurch on July 19 last year.

He said police hoped someone would come forward with information on who the victim might be.

“This could be somebody’s mother, sister or even grandmother,” he said.

No information has yet been released on how the woman may have died.

Fisherman Paul Middleton hands over his fishing rod to police after finding human remains wrapped in plastic in Gulf Harbour on March 12, 2024. RNZ / Nick Monro

Williams confirmed an autopsy has been completed and Interpol is now involved in the investigation in a bid to identify the woman.

“The Government is committed to keeping all New Zealanders safe and secure.”

Williams said the investigation was complex, as police were still trying to work out why, when and where the woman died.

“We’re continuing to treat this matter very seriously and we’re determined to hold the person or persons [responsible] accountable for this death.

Police enquiries continued today after human remains were located in water off Gulf Harbour on March 12, 2024. Photo / Michael Craig

There was no wider risk to the public, he said.

“If there’s a woman in your community who matches this description you haven’t seen for a while or have concerns about, please make contact with the investigation team.”

He said people had already come forward with CCTV footage and other information.

The woman was wrapped in black plastic rubbish sacks, Williams said.

He would not speculate regarding whether the offender had remained in the country.

Tourists parked in a campervan at the harbour told the Herald they had also noticed something large floating in the water.

The Kiwi couple said a huge wind had blown into the gulf last Monday, bringing logs and debris into the harbour.

They spotted the bag from the shore, but had no idea what they were looking at,

Another camping traveller said it was a sad discovery.

“It’s sad. It’s someone’s son or daughter, or maybe even mother or father,” he said at the time.