Body found in Elisabeth Nicholls search was less than 300m from family home
Sunday, 22 June 2025
A body found in the search for missing Christchurch woman Elisabeth Nicholls was discovered at an empty property less than 300m from the home where she had lived with her husband.
Police found a body at 1pm on Sunday while searching a property in Gracefield Ave, close to Hagley Park.
While formal identification is yet to take place, her family said they were “very saddened and relieved Lis has been found”, and police believe it to be that of the missing 79-year-old.
Nicholls, who had dementia, disappeared from the Margaret Stoddart Retirement Village on the evening of June 4 — the day she was admitted to the facility — about 2km from where the body was found, across Hagley Park.
She and her husband Gary Nicholls had lived together in Conference St, a block west of where the body was found, and closer to the retirement village.
Official records show the Gracefield Ave property is owned by Health NZ.
In a statement released through police on Sunday, Nicholls’ family said they were “very grateful” for the efforts police and the public had made to find her, and asked for privacy.
The retirement village is run by Ryman Healthcare.
In a statement on Sunday, Marsha Cadman, the company’s chief operating officer, said: “Ryman, along with our Margaret Stoddart Village team, are terribly saddened by the news that a body has been found in the search for Elisabeth Nicholls.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Elisabeth’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. We are supporting our residents and team members in the village and continue to liaise with police.”
Police and search teams spent hours combing Hagley Park and the surrounding area in the hope of finding Nicholls since her disappearance 18 days ago.
Officers looked in waterways and the gardens of nearby properties, scouring undergrowth and river banks. They also launched a drone in their desperate search.
On Saturday, police narrowed down the area where they were searching after a possible sighting of Nicholls at the eastern side of Hagley Park, around Park Tce and Salisbury/Montreal streets at around 8.25pm on the same day she went missing.
Gracefield Ave is a quiet, leafy street off Salisbury St, about 600m from Park Tce.
About five police officers could be seen at the scene on Sunday afternoon, including some wearing white forensics suits.
A journalist at the scene said it appeared they were working in the garden behind the house, an empty old white weatherboard property surrounded by townhouses. A hearse later left the scene.
A police spokesperson on Sunday said police hoped the discovery would “help provide some closure for her family and loved ones”.
“Our thoughts are with them at this incredibly difficult time, and we thank the public and everyone who helped in the search for their efforts.“
Nicholls left the Margaret Stoddart Retirement Village in Bartlett St, Riccarton, about 6pm on June 4. She had been admitted for a short stay just hours earlier.
She was seen on CCTV footage at 7.54pm at the Chateau on the Park hotel, 550m from the rest home, which is near the western fringe of Hagley Park.
A week after she vanished, police held a press conference pleading for help. Detective Sergeant Lucy Aldridge said they had grave concerns for Nicholls’ wellbeing and next to no leads.
Gary Nicholls, her husband, told The Press earlier this week he had to be “realistic”.
“The chances of finding her alive are rather small now,” he said at the time.
He had been out searching alone this week, but had said he received regular updates from police, search and rescue and Ryman Healthcare, which operates Margaret Stoddart rest home.
Nicholls’ disappearance came during the two coldest weeks in Christchurch this year.