'Intoxicated' man sought in murder inquiry

Police say Allison McPhee died a violent death. Photo / Supplied

Police investigating a murder at a Wellington block of flats last week are looking for sightings of a man who they believe may have spent time with the victim in her last days.

Acting Detective Inspector Scott Miller, who is heading the investigation into the killing of 42-year-old Allison McPhee, says police are now looking for sightings of a "possibly intoxicated male" who "may have been asleep in the street" in the Wellington suburb of Newtown on the Thursday before Ms McPhee's body was found.

The body of Ms McPhee, who police say died a violent death, was found at the Newtown Park Flats in the Wellington suburb of Newtown on Wednesday, 28 July. She had been dead for between three and five days.

Police have said an argument was overheard in the flat on Sunday, July 25, but it was not clear whether it had escalated to violence.

Mr Miller wants to hear from anyone who saw the man, who police believe is Maori or a Pacific Islander, in the area between the Newtown Park Flats in Mansfield Street and the New World supermarket in Newtown between 7pm and 8pm on Thursday 22 July.

"We are now in the process of collecting and viewing CCTV footage from the New World supermarket and the Newtown area to confirm whether this male accompanied Ms McPhee to the supermarket on the same evening," said Mr Miller, who said nearly 30 investigators are working on the case.

Police are also looking for Ms McPhee's Westpac eftpos card, which hasn't been used since Thursday 22 July. Police are asking for any shop owners who may have refused a sale to someone trying to use the card to come forward.

- NZ Herald staff