Police start homicide investigation into disappearance of Marlborough woman
Tuesday, 22 October 2019
The family of a Marlborough woman who disappeared seven months ago say they are devastated the case is being treated as a homicide investigation.
Jessica Boyce, 27, was last seen in a red Holden Rodeo ute in Renwick on March 19. The ute was found three days later at the Lake Chalice car park in the Mount Richmond Forest Park.
Area investigations manager Detective Senior Sergeant Ciaran Sloan said police believed the ute was deliberately left in the forest park to mislead the investigation. The ute was seized on Tuesday for further forensic examination.
Boyce's uncle, Brent Boyce, said the family was 'very shocked and devastated' to learn of the investigation's new direction.
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'But it's not completely unexpected,' Boyce said. The family wanted time to take the news in before commenting further, he said.
Sloan said investigators had also identified a number of other 'locations of interest' in Marlborough as a result of their inquiries.
'Additional resources from the Tasman and Canterbury police districts have been deployed to Marlborough to assist with the investigation, which remains a priority for police,' Sloan said.
'Police are committed to supporting Jessica's family throughout this investigation, and we extend our sincere condolences to them following this serious development.'
Police and LandSAR searched the forest park and its huts when Boyce's vehicle was found in March, but suspended efforts four days later.
Family members searched the area on foot, joined in on a flyover, put up missing person posters, chased leads, established the 'Help Find Jess' Facebook page and created a website for anonymous tips.
Boyce's mother, Kay Johnstone, later said family and friends began to suspect she had been kidnapped within days of her disappearance.
Brent Boyce told Stuff earlier this month the family would remain strong despite the 'enduring burden' of not knowing what happened to her.
'We have been working closely with the police over this time, and have valued their ongoing support and untiring efforts,' a family statement said.
Both friends and family had been told 'many possible rumours and stories' about what had happened to Boyce, and these were 'always' passed onto police, the statement said.
Police asked anyone with information about Boyce's disappearance – no matter how insignificant they thought it was – to contact Marlborough police on 03 578 5279, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
TIMELINE
March 19 - Boyce's mother Kay Johnstone arrives at her home in Renwick after going to a hospital appointment. She notices Boyce is missing, which had happened several times before. She also notices her red Holden ute is missing. Johnstone reports the ute as stolen to police. She hopes if Boyce was found with the ute that her daughter would be given the mental health treatment she'd twice been denied.
March 22 - Two hikers find the ute near Lake Chalice, in the Mount Richmond Forest Park. They call Johnstone, who calls police. The hikers later tell police to bring dogs. Boyce is officially reported missing.
March 23 to 25 - Search and rescue teams scour the area near where Boyce's car was found. They find little in the way of clues.
March 26 - Search teams are put on hold until police have more information. Boyce's family conduct private searches in other areas of the forest park.
March 27 - The family ask the public through Facebook to keep an eye out for Boyce and published a list of her favourite spots.
March 28 - Precision Helicopters gives Boyce's mother, Kay Johnstone, and cousin, Aaron Goodwin, a free flight over where the ute was found. Boyce was not spotted. Friends and family continue to search on foot.
March 29 - Family members put up 'missing person' posters around Rai Valley, Havelock, the Wakamarina and the Queen Charlotte Track, encouraging the public to keep an eye out for Boyce.
March 30 - Family members go to Nelson to put up 'missing person' flyers and check out locations Boyce often frequented.
April 2 - Police rule out a reported sightings of Boyce in Motueka, Coupland Bakeries, Spring Creek, and north of Blenheim.
April 4 - Cadaver dogs are bought in to search the area where Boyce went missing.
April 9 - Goodwin sets up the website 'Help Find Jess' to encourage people to come forward with information anonymously.
April 12 - Johnstone reveals Boyce had twice tried to get mental health treatment in the weeks before she disappeared, but was turned away.
April 24 - The family seek counselling to cope with Boyce's disappearance.
May 10 - Boyce's family reveal fears that the 27-year-old may have been kidnapped from the forest park by people who were 'not her friends'.
May 23 - Search and rescue teams keep an eye out for clues on Boyce while looking for Nelson man Philip Young in the forest park.
May 28 - An admin error causes Boyce's Facebook account to publish a vehicle advertisement to a Nelson buy, sell and trade page. Police state they are 'confident' it was not posted by Boyce after her disappearance.
June 2 - The family reach out to author Ian Wishart for advice on searching for the missing Marlborough woman. He teaches family members how to retrace someone's electronic footprint.
June 7 - The family begin fundraising for a $50,000 reward.
June 20 - Goodwin steps back from the search after struggling to cope with the aftermath of his cousin's disappearance.
June 31 - The fundraiser closes with $1290 donated.
October 22 - Police seize red Holden ute and announce homicide investigation.