The case of human remains being discovered near the Desert Road is now officially a homicide inquiry, police say.
The remains, believed to belong to a Chinese man missing since 2017, were discovered last week in a shallow grave on Rangipo Intake Road near Tongariro.
The Herald revealed this week that police had searched a property on McWhirters Farm Lane in the west Auckland suburb of Massey in connection with the case.
![The human remains were found near the Desert Road.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/OHTES4XWFPJZHUSPSBFLBZ6UXM.jpg?auth=9d0c8334830dea60c2e3e52c262db9d5c2e8452ec334fccc72111b12c6bd2e3a&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
That search was completed this morning, Detective Inspector John Sutton said today.