KEY POINTS:
A badly decomposed body recovered from the Avoca Valley in Mid Canterbury at the weekend is thought to be that of an Ashburton hunter who went missing in June.
Constable David Pitkethley, of Darfield police, said the body was found by a local helicopter pilot last week and recovered by police on Saturday.
It was in the area where 24-year-old Ashburton man Corey Foster disappeared while on a hunting trip.
Mr Foster failed to return to meet his fiance, Rachel Pawsey, at the Avoca Hut on June 3.
When he hadn't returned by noon the following day, Ms Pawsey, as arranged earlier with Mr Foster, drove for more than four hours on an off-road track to raise the alarm.
Intensive searches in the Avoca Valley beyond Lake Coleridge by teams of volunteers using dogs and supported by an air force Iroquois helicopter failed to find any trace of Mr Foster.
Police called off the search in bitterly cold snowy conditions after seven days.
Mr Pitkethley told NZPA police were awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination done in Christchurch today before formally identifying the body.
A forensic dental examination was required because of the body's condition.
Results were likely to be available tomorrow, he said.
- NZPA
