Murder victim Tania's last message of love to family

Tania McKenzie texted her grandparents to say she loved them the day before she was found dead.

It was a message the Wanganui woman, killed on her 20th birthday, sent from her cellphone each week.

But what her Bay of Plenty grandparents, Lynton and Denise Hooker, did not realise at the time was that it would be the last text message they would receive from their bubbly, outgoing grand-daughter.

"Tania was a very loving girl," said Mrs Hooker.

"She would always say 'I love you Grandma' no matter who was there."

Miss McKenzie's youngest sister, Rebekka, 14, was staying with them when they heard the news, Mrs Hooker said.

They had a laid out a chocolate cake to celebrate the birthday in her absence.

"The phone rang and it was Naelene [Tania's mother] saying that Tania had been murdered and that they had just taken her body from the river. I thought I had misheard."

As Miss McKenzie's parents prepare for her funeral today, police will carry on with the murder investigation and hope for more clues.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam said Miss McKenzie, a barmaid, had some birthday drinks after she finished work at the Red Lion Inn, walked up Victoria Ave, then went to a takeaway bar at Guyton St before going home to her flat after 2am last Friday.

Her partially-dressed body was found in the Wanganui River with massive head injuries at 10.30am.

A local resident has told police there were sounds of a couple arguing by the riverbank. Police are asking anyone who may have argued there to come forward.

Mr Oxnam said that police were looking at the possibility that her body had been taken to the river by car.

Police had searched a taxi with the permission of the driver, but it was not searched with the power of a search warrant or seized.

"I believe that the person or persons responsible for Tania's murder will be undergoing extraordinary stress and will be displaying this," Mr Oxnam said.

Mr and Mrs Hooker, from Paengaroa, said the last time they saw their grand-daughter was a month ago when she offered to help them run the farm because they were both suffering from ill health.

Mr Hooker said he felt angry that his grand-daughter could not go out into the streets and be safe.