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Grace Millane: Body of British backpacker formally identified

The body of Ms Millane has been returned to her family, officers said.

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British backpacker Grace Millane was found near a beauty spot on the outskirts of Auckland (Auckland City Police/PA)

The body of British backpacker Grace Millane has been formally identified, police in New Zealand have said.

Ms Millane, 22, went missing from a hostel in Auckland on December 1 and a body was found in the Waitakere Ranges on Sunday.

Officers said on Wednesday morning that identification has taken place and Ms Millane’s family were “in the process of organising to take her home”.

A 26-year-old man, who cannot be named, has been charged with murder and appeared in an Auckland court on Monday.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard said: “Work continues to piece together exactly what happened to Grace, as we build a timeline of the circumstances.”

Officers said they have received “hundreds” of calls about the case and investigators are trying to establish a timeline of events.

On Monday, New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern gave an emotional apology to Ms Millane’s family, saying: “Your daughter should have been safe here, and she wasn’t, and I’m sorry for that.”

“I cannot imagine the grief of her family and what they would be experiencing and feeling right now.”

Detectives said they had identified a “location of interest” after the investigation led them to a spot on Scenic Drive, a country road about 12 miles west of Auckland city centre, on Saturday night.

Police said the disappearance of the British backpacker is now being treated as a suspected murder (Lucie Blackman Trust/PA)
Police said the disappearance of the British backpacker is now being treated as a suspected murder (Lucie Blackman Trust/PA)

The last confirmed sighting of Ms Millane, a University of Lincoln graduate from Essex, was at 9.41pm on December 1, the day before her birthday, at the Citylife Hotel, when she was seen with a “male companion”.

Since arriving in New Zealand from Peru on November 20, she had been in near-daily contact with her family.

Grace Millane death
Ms Millane was recorded on CCTV at the Sky City centre on Saturday evening (Auckland Police/PA)

Police received a missing person report on Wednesday and began a major search and public campaign that saw dozens of calls made to a helpline.

Ms Millane’s father, David Millane, flew to Auckland and made a public appeal for help finding his daughter, who he described as “lovely, outgoing, fun-loving (and) family-orientated”.

Her brother, Declan Millane, paid tribute by sharing pictures on social media of him and his sister, adding the lyrics of You Are My Sunshine.

He wrote on Instagram: “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

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