Police have launched a homicide investigation following the death of a woman in Onehunga yesterday.
Auckland City Relieving District Crime Manager Acting Detective Inspector Alisse Robertson, says Police were notified of an incident onboard a bus travelling through Onehunga at about 2.30pm.
¡°Police received a report that a person had been stabbed on a number 74 bus and upon arrival, a woman was located with multiple wounds.
¡°Tragically, despite the best efforts of medical personnel and members of the public, she died at the scene.
¡°Our thoughts are with her wh¨¡nau at this time, and we are doing everything we can to support them.¡±
Acting Detective Inspector Robertson says Police are making urgent enquiries to locate the offender and have identified a person of interest.
¡°Our teams have been working through the night to find this person, who we believe is responsible for killing this woman.
¡°We are following positive lines of enquiry and have been speaking to a number of people who have been assisting us in attempting to track him.¡±
Acting Detective Inspector Robertson says Police are now seeking the public¡¯s assistance to locate a man, who was last seen in the Mount Wellington area.
He is in his late 30s and was last seen wearing dark coloured pants, a black jumper with white writing on the front and white shoes.
He also had a green t-shirt on his head and was carrying a black backpack.
¡°We are now appealing to the public for any information on the whereabouts of this man.
¡°We advise he is not be approached and anyone who sees this man is urged to contact Police immediately via 111.¡±
She says the investigation is still in the early stages and Police are working to understand why the victim was the target for this attack.
¡°We know the community will be understandably alarmed by what has occurred, and we are doing everything we can to locate this person and hold them to account.¡±
An increased Police presence will remain in the Onehunga and Mount Wellington areas today while further enquiries are carried out.
A post-mortem examination and formal identification of the victim will be carried out over the coming days.
Anyone with information regarding this man¡¯s whereabouts is urged to contact Police on 111.
Information can also be provided to Police by making an online report at 105.police.govt.nz using ¡°Update Report¡± or by calling 105.
Please reference the file number 241023/8926.
ENDS.
Holly McKay/51½ÖÉä