Acting Detective Inspector Tim Williams will speak to the media concerning the Gulf Harbour homicide investigation.
Three people have been arrested and charged with manslaughter and kidnapping after a woman’s body was found in a bag in Gulf Harbour.
Chinese national Shulai Wang, 70, was found in a black rubbish bag in the water in Gulf Harbour on March 12.
Police today said a man and two women have now been charged with kidnapping and manslaughter.
“This morning, investigators from the Operation Parade homicide investigation team arrested three people at an Ōrewa address,” acting Detective Inspector of the Waitematā CIB Tim Williams said.
“A 37-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman and a 61-year-old woman are each facing charges of kidnapping and manslaughter.”
The 37-year-old man and 36-year-old woman also face additional charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice and providing false immigration information.
“The man also faces a single additional charge of failing to carry out obligations under the Search and Surveillance Act,” Williams said.
The trio will remain in custody and are set to appear in the North Shore District Court tomorrow.
“I appreciate that there will no doubt still be a lot of questions about what happened to Mrs Wang, but as the matter is now before the courts we are limited in what we can say,” Williams said.
Acting Detective Inspector Tim Williams speaks to media at the North Shore Police Station in relation to the Gulf Harbour homicide investigation. Photo / Jason Oxenham
He said the investigation team had worked for “countless hours” over the last eight months alongside other agencies including Customs and Immigration NZ to piece together who the victim was and what happened to her.
“I would like to acknowledge the investigation team who has worked painstakingly to provide answers for Mrs Wang’s family.
“I would also like to thank the dozens of other people outside of the inquiry team who have assisted us, including members of the public who contacted police with information.”
Police at Gulf Harbour after fisherman Paul Middleton pulled human remains from the water in March. Photo / RNZ / Nick Monro
A retired fisherman discovered Wang’s body in March after seeing a bag floating in the water and dragging it on to the rocks.
Paul Middleton told Radio NZ he noticed “a bit of clothing ... and then there was this hand sticking out”.
It was at that point that he called police.
”Two cops turned up and they thought I’d actually said there’s just a hand in a bag and then they went down there and went, ‘Oh no we’ve got a body’,” Middleton said.
Middleton said he did not try to open the bag further once he discovered the hand.
