http://www.police.govt.nz/operation/kirsty/I knew a guy at school, hung round with him a bit etc. We didn't always see eye to eye but generally got on pretty well.
On new years eve 1998 his sister went missing from the Ashburton river, though this didn't make the news until a few days later. I was at my family's usual holiday spot about an hour and a half's drive north of the town when I heard. She'd been walking her dog by the river, the dog was found tied to something by it's leash, and her panties were found neatly folded on a log. That river, in parts, is a popular summer time swimming spot, and is also known as a popular spot for small cannabis plots.
The body was found on January 17 further inland, in
a gorge on the Rakaia river - regarded as the northern boundary of Mid Canterbury. The body was found in a cannabis plot by the guys who had planted it, during one of their stops to tend their plants. They were aware of current events, decided to inform the police and despite the considerable size of their crop, they were let off as the discovery of the body had siginificantly advanced the case.
Ashburton, Mid Canterbury, NZ. Nearest cities are Timaru (35,000, farming & seaport) to the south and Christchurch (400,000) to the north. Ashburton is a very wealthy farming town, population 16,000. Big rugby town, so there were lots of ruggers - NZ's version of jocks. Kirtsy's brother copped a LOT of shit from the town in the years since her disappearance. He is an academic, has long hair and listens to heavy metal - so was instantly suspected by a town which LOVES a good rumour. Everybody knew that he couldn't have done it - he couldn't drive at that point (no dumping the body), and was eliminated from suspicion by the cops - but try telling the town that. Most people eventually got over the whole "OMG not a rugbyhead therefore he must have done it" thing. He has since completed an astrophysics degree, and is presently in the UK with family.
After ten years, the case is still unsolved. Everyone has their own theory. His father, Sid, is a popular one. Personally I think it is most likely drug growers, and a case of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The area in which they found her body is popular for growing small plots, and she was found in the middle of a medium-sized plot on another river - at the very least the person who dumped the body knew the location of the Rakaia gorge plot, and hadn't informed the cops about it. Another possibility is that it was a group of pissheads who got a bit carried away. It gets hot in that town at that time of the year, and the river is a popular spot to cool off. Holidays, liquor, river and rape.
Her boyfriend at the time has since turned gay.
