Murdered man died of stab wounds - police

Murdered man Raymond Piper. Photo / Supplied

A post-mortem examination on the body found in bush near Paraparaumu yesterday has confirmed it is that of Raymond Piper, and has revealed he died of multiple stab wounds to the chest.

Police this evening confirmed the body found yesterday in the
Maungakotukutuku Valley is that of 23-year-old Raymond 'Son' Piper, who went missing from his home in Paraparaumu Beach on May 15.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam of Kapiti Police said a post-mortem examination carried out today revealed that Mr Piper died of multiple stab wounds to his chest area.

Ainsley Brent Anderson, 51, unemployed, and Louie Anderson, 17, have been charged with being a party to murder. Susan Bragger, 44, of Paraparaumu, and Sean Hawke, 50, of Tauranga, have been charged with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Piper between May 15 and June 8.

"Police are returning Mr Piper's body to his family tomorrow," said Mr Oxnam. "They will now be able to finally lay Raymond to rest, providing them with some closure."

Yesterday Mr Piper's sister Aroha told media "Our family is pleased to get Son home, even though he is not coming back to us alive. All we wanted was to have Son's body's back so we could give him his final resting place.

"Today we have mixed emotions. We are so happy to get Son home but we will never forget Son. Our lives will never be the same again."

Local iwi have put a Rahui (a temporary closure) on the collection of food
such as watercress from the Maungakotokutoku Valley stream for the next three days.

Iwi are asking members of the public to respect this request out of
courtesy to the family and for health reasons.

- NZ Herald staff