Police recover body found near Waimakariri River in Canterbury

The body of a person found on Old West Coast Rd on Sunday has been recovered, police say.

Police got a call at about 3.40pm yesterday from a member of the public who found the body near the Waimakariri River, in the vicinity of Pitt Rd.

The death is currently being treated as unexplained and police are continuing to make inquiries in the area.

"Police are prioritising identifying the person and returning them to whanau," police said in a statement.

"However it may take several days for a formal identification to be completed."

A post-mortem examination will also be conducted.

The discovery of the body prompted police to contact the mother of a man who has been missing for nearly a year.

The mother of Joel Linwood, who was last seen fleeing towards the then-flooded river following a truck crash in July 2021, was notified by police about the body, Stuff reported.

Two other passengers were in the vehicle at the time and sustained injuries.

Linwood was wanted by police at the time of the crash for cutting off his electronic monitoring bracelet.

But his family has maintained he was not on the run.