New Zealand police have found human remains in their search for alleged murder victim Yanfei Bao.
On Tuesday morning, a large team of police descended on a rural property in Greenpark, about 45 minutes south of Christchurch.
Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves said they were acting on new information relating to the disappearance of Bao, a Harcourts real estate agent, more than a year ago.
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Some officers could be seen at the farm with shovels.
On Tuesday afternoon, police announced they’d found a “shallow grave” along a treeline at the property.
“The remains cannot immediately be formally identified, and work is now underway to excavate and forensically examine them,” Reeves said in a statement.
“This news has been shared with Yanfei’s immediate family, and while long hoped for, still comes as a shock.
“The area had previously been searched, and new information led us back here to search specific locations of interest.
“For operational reasons, we are unable to share the information that led us to search this location.
“A scene examination is now underway and Police will be visible in the area for some time.”
Craig Eggleston, the owner of the Greenpark property, told Stuff he was feeling “emotional”.
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He learned of the discovery on Tuesday morning.
Eggleston said he was “relieved” but also “sad”. He hoped it would bring some “closure” to Bao’s family.
Police initially went to his property in the weeks after Bao’s disappearance after a “sighting” nearby.
Eggleston said they had not told him what led them back there on Tuesday.
Bao, who is a Chinese national, vanished on July 19, 2023 and was last seen in the suburb of Hornby just before 10am.
She was due to meet a prospective client to show him through a Trevor St property.
The last time she was heard from was when she called a friend that morning via the Chinese social media app WeChat.
Bao asked how a Chinese buyer who lived in Christchurch could transfer $NZ600,000 ($538,899) from China to buy a house.
Police later charged 53-year-old Tingjun Cao with her kidnapping and then days later, charged him with her murder.
The kidnapping charge has since been dropped. Cao is due to stand trial in October.
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On the first anniversary of Bao’s disappearance, Reeves said police were committed to finding the missing real estate agent’s body.
The case was on her mind every day, she said.
Bao’s husband Paul Gooch said at the time it had been “incredibly challenging for our entire family to cope with the devastating loss of Yanfei; it has changed all our lives irreparably”.
Her daughter Momo had shown “incredible resilience” in the past year, Gooch said.
“It’s truly inspiring to witness her ability to still find reasons to smile and be her authentic self in the midst of such adversity.
“Her mother would undoubtedly be deeply proud of her.”
Bao’s China-based family said: “We have been in immense grief, feeling helpless while being far away in our home country. We can only hope that police will find Yanfei soon and bring peace to her soul.”
This article was originally published on Stuff.co.nz and has been reproduced here with permission.
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