By 3 News online staff
A coroner's findings into the death of a Czech tourist have prompted a warning to hitchhikers.
Dagmar Pytlickova, 31, was killed by Jason Frandi, 43, near Waimate in May 2012, before Frandi also killed himself.
Coroner Richard McElrea's findings have revealed how Ms Pytlickova was forced to walk more than 4km into a forest, before she was sexually assaulted and murdered by her attacker.
It's also been revealed Frandi had previously been jailed for three-and-a-half years for abducting a 19-year-old woman from a street in Oamaru.
The woman escaped, but Frandi told police he wanted to take her to the forest, rape her and then kill himself.
Ms Pytlickova was in New Zealand on a working holiday with her sister, Jana, and had planned to take the three-hour trip to Cave from Cromwell to visit her.
Ms Pytlickova was dropped off by friends on State Highway 8 outside Cromwell and planned to hitchhike the rest of the way.
She made contact with her sister to say she had been picked up by a "great character".
However, Ms Pytlickova never made it to the hotel where she was to meet her sister that night.
She was reported missing the following day and her body was found shortly after by trail bikers in a forestry block in the Hunter Hills. Frandi's body was also found 150m away.
Ms Pytlickova had been restrained with a severed seatbelt and forced to walk 4.6km into the forest, before she was sexually assaulted and killed.
She died from cuts to her throat and neck after trying to fight off her killer.
Frandi was also at the time the subject of a police investigation into the sexual abuse of a friend's child, and had other drug and driving related convictions.
Police admit they should have put out a wider alert for Frandi, but say it was unlikely that could have changed anything.
Mr McElrea says he agrees with the police stance on hitchhiking, which says the practice is not recommended, but if travellers do choose to hitchhike they should not do it alone.
3 News
source: newshub archive
