Grace Millane murder probe: New Zealand police believe missing British backpacker has been killed

Detectives are questioning a man in Auckland who is to be charged with murder The Essex 22-year-old's family are 'devastated', detective says

Missing British backpacker Grace Millane is almost certainly dead and her disappearance is now being treated as murder, New Zealand police have said.

A 26-year-old man is being questioned by detectives after he was located at an address in central Auckland on Saturday afternoon (NZ time).

He is to be charged with murder and will remain in police custody until Monday before appearing at Auckland District Court.

Police said they are still looking for Ms Millane, 22, who was last seen in the city on Saturday, December 1, although evidence suggested she had been killed.

Grace Millane is missing in Auckland, New Zealand (Grace Millane / Facebook)

Her family have been left "devastated" by the development and have asked for privacy, Auckland City Police Detective Inspector Scott Beard said.

"The evidence we have located so far, our scene examination, some of the CCTV footage we have, and our investigation, has determined that Grace is no longer alive and that this is a murder investigation," he told a press conference.

Grace Millane on CCTV in Auckland, shortly before her disappearance
PA

"Grace's family have been advised of this development and they are devastated."

Det Insp Beard added: "We still do not know where Grace is. We are determined to find her and return her to her family."

She graduated from the University of Lincoln in September and had embarked on a year-long worldwide trip.

After visiting Peru she arrived in New Zealand on November 20 and had been near-daily contact with her family until December 1 - the day before her 22nd birthday.

The last confirmed sighting of Ms Millane was at 9.41pm the same day at the Citylife Hotel in central Auckland, when she was seen with a "male companion" .

Police later said they had spoken to the man and that he was a "person of interest", although he was not held in custody.

Grace was described as a lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-orientated daughter by her father
Grace Millane / Facebook

Det Insp Beard confirmed that the man being questioned by police on Saturday was the same individual.

"We know that he was with her on the Saturday evening and went to a number of places before going to the Citylife Hotel," he told reporters.

Police have not uncovered any evidence the pair had met before. Asked if they had met on the Tinder dating app, the detective said: "I'm not going to speculate on how they met. The issue here is Grace is still missing and we want to find her."

Detectives seized a "vehicle of interest" on Saturday and enquiries were under way to establish where it had been.

Earlier searches of Ms Millane's accommodation at a backpackers' hostel found several items, including her passport, were missing.

On Saturday police released images of a pink watch and a necklace belonging to her and asked for the public's help in finding them.

The Lucie Blackman Trust, which has been supporting Ms Millane's family, said in a statement in the early hours of Saturday: "We are incredibly saddened to announce that Auckland Police have confirmed that they are now treating Grace Millane's case as a homicide.

"Her family have been informed and we ask that they are afforded privacy at this time. We will release any updates or statements as they are available.

"Thank you to all who helped try and find Grace. Our thoughts are with her family at this awful time."

The major police search and public campaign for information led to dozens of calls being made to a hotline.

"I know that the thoughts of all New Zealanders will be with Grace's family tonight," Det Insp Beard said.

Grace's father David speaking at an press conference in Auckland, New Zealand
AP

"I want to reassure everyone, both here and abroad, that New Zealand Police are determined to do everything we can to find her."

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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