Manurewa murder: Workers feared for safety when a woman’s body was found nearby

Staff at the Auckland Warehouse distribution center have felt unsafe leaving work after dark this week when the woman’s body was found nearby.

Police began an investigation into the murder after the body was found on McVilly Rd in Manurewa on Saturday, September 11, at about 4:30 p.m.

According to police, the woman was in her teens or early 20s and has been identified and her relatives have been notified. Police have not yet revealed his identity.

Today, McVilly Rd had no trace of police – or that an investigation was underway. It was mostly deserted and quiet, and there were no indications that the alleged crime had taken place just four days earlier.

The narrow road of the dead end is surrounded by an industrial area bordering the suburb of neighboring Wiri.

Homai Railway Station is located halfway, opposite the training network for the blind and partially sighted and close to the Manurewa Table Tennis Club.

On the other side of the train track sits a mosque, Masjid Baitul Muqeet, and at the end of the road, a grassy area returns to the northern distribution center of the Wiri warehouse in Wiri.

This area is marked as private property owned by the warehouse, and the Herald saw some of the staff on arrival at the premises.

The worker told the Herald that he had been following the area since the woman’s body was found, and earlier today he shot two men drinking there because some of the staff felt insecure.

He said he walked to his co-worker’s Homai train station after they had stopped the shift last night at around 7.30pm because they felt restless.

A spokesman for The Warehouse said: “The safety and security of our team is always a priority. Members of our distribution team park in a secure car park, and we always have dedicated security staff on site who can be reached by team cars and, if necessary, the train station.”

They said members of our team were concerned about intoxicated individuals who were transferred by our guards and reported to police.

Opposite McVilly Rd, on the corner of Browns Rd and Russell Rd, a convenience store and laundromat are located on the shops line.

The owner of the Palm Super Martin told the Herald that police had visited the store yesterday to request video surveillance, but he did not have cameras outside the building.

He said the train station usually has a guard, but they stop their work when the last train is on schedule soon after midnight.

Staff next to the laundromat said they noticed two or three cars yesterday driving down McVilly Rd with people dressed in black. The laundry was also with the police in recent days.

In the opposite corner of Russell Rd, another dairy owner said police had also asked them for video surveillance, but his outdoor camera did not point in the direction of McVilly Rd.

He said it was “a little scary” to learn that a murder investigation had been launched. He told the Herald that he had owned his store for six years and had no previous problems in the area.

A resident of Russell Rd told the Herald that he was also surprised and sad to learn of the woman’s death. He often walks from his home to Homai train station, but said he was concerned about his safety.

He has lived in Manurewa for over 50 years and said he was “amazed” by the increase in crime in the area.

Police say there is no update on the murder today and investigations are underway.

A seizure trial at McVilly Rd and a post-mortem study were completed on Monday.

“The community can be confident that police are working hard to bring together the facts surrounding his death and hold all individuals accountable,” Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Hayward said Monday.