KEY POINTS:
Police are treating as "significant" the sighting of a cyclist smeared with blood near the home of Napier murder victim Chattrice Maihi-Carroll on the morning she died.
The naked body of the 46-year-old mother-of-four was found by her sister in her Cottrell Crescent home in the suburb of Onekawa on January 21.
She lived alone, was stabbed many times, and may also have been sexually assaulted.
Investigation head Detective Inspector Sam Aberahama said today that a man came forward late last week to report a sighting of a cyclist he had seen in the area on the morning Ms Maihi-Carroll died.
"The cyclist had smeared blood on the right side of his face and smeared blood on his chest," Mr Aberahama said.
He was seen turning right from Venables Ave into Riverbend Rd and heading towards Bledisloe Rd around 9am on January 21.
Venables Ave is very close to Cottrell Cres in Onekawa South.
The man who reported the sighting did not think anything of it at the time, but later contacted police.
The male cyclist was described as Caucasian, 20-30-years-old, short, fat build, with pale skin and long gingery-blonde hair that was sticking out from under his bike helmet.
He was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, open to the middle of his chest.
Mr Aberahama said the sighting of the bloodied cyclist was significant and police were very keen to speak to him.
"Other people should have seen him cycling along the road and he would have been distinctive. It's imperative that we find out information about this man as soon as possible," he said.
In addition to the new development, officers were still seeking information on a dark green Toyota Estima people-mover that was seen parked up the top of the driveway next to Ms Maihi-Carroll's flat on the night of Sunday, January 20.
Mr Aberahama said police were working their way through information provided by the public about the car, but so far nothing of significance had emerged.
The inquiry team of 25 is today being boosted by the arrival of five extra officers from Gisborne and Wellington.
On Friday, Ms Maihi-Carroll's 80-year-old mother, Ripeka Carroll, of Napier, and twin brothers Whiu Carroll, of Christchurch, and Patu Carroll, of Shannon, appeared at a media conference to plead for information which could help track down her killer.
Whiu Carroll said his family was "quite happy' with the police inquiry, despite suggestions from some media that early delays in revealing the nature of Ms Maihi-Carroll's death had hindered the investigation.
"It's important for us to have some closure as to why this has happened. I am quite lost as to why this has happened," he said.
- NZPA
