Police contact missing student's family after remains found

Photo / Brett Phibbs

Police have contacted the family of missing Chinese student Yue Gui after human remains were found in 16 metre-deep water at Goat Island Marine Reserve on Sunday.

Ms Gui, 30, known as Alice, was last seen on June 4 at the Leigh Marine Reserve Faculty, operated by Auckland University, about 80km north of Auckland.

She was believed to have been swept out to sea while taking ocean temperature readings the following morning. An extensive search failed to find her.

Sergeant Bede Haughey of Warkworth police said there were no reports of missing people in that area other than Ms Gui.

"We are hopeful that the DNA tests will confirm what we suspect."

Results would probably take more than two weeks, he said.

Two recreational divers found the remains trapped under rocks on Sunday afternoon and contacted police.

The remains were described as being an adult of small stature, but no features or clothing were identifiable, police said.

The police launch Deodar went to the area late yesterday and transported the remains to Auckland where an autopsy was carried out yesterday.

Ms Gui's family travelled to New Zealand from China when the search was on, and stayed for two weeks.

Mr Haughey said he had spoken to Ms Gui's mother in Beijing through an interpreter and she was "extremely upset".

Mr Haughey earlier said he had heard nothing but glowing accounts of what Ms Gui was like.

"Everything that we've heard is that she was just a lovely girl who was committed to the sea and marine life and wanted to make a life here in NZ, where we're obviously strongly connected with the marine environment."

- NZPA