Police have confirmed that the remains found at Port Waikato’s Sunset Beach in May were of Jane Furlong, the woman who went missing in 1993 at the age of 17.
A skeleton was found early in the morning on May 19 this year, nearly 19 years to the day since Ms Furlong was last seen alive on Karangahape Rd in Auckland.
Ms Furlong’s mother and her son, who was an infant when she went missing, have been informed that the identity of the remains was confirmed after extensive forensic examination and tests.
Detective Inspector Mark Benefield says police have been carrying out a homicide investigation since the remains were found in May.
"Jane Marie Furlong was 17 when she was reported to Police as missing by her boyfriend, Danny Norsworthy, on May 28, 1993 after she failed to meet him as arranged on Karangahape Rd during the evening of May 26,” says Det Insp Benefield.
"Police have always believed she disappeared in suspicious circumstances and, while it brings little comfort to know the initial concerns about her well-being were well-founded, it's pleasing that we have some evidence to work with in terms of our current homicide investigation.
"Over the past few weeks since what we thought could be Jane's remains emerged from the sand dunes on Sunset Beach, we've carried out a number of inquiries and have a plan in place for how this investigation will progress.”
Police have carried out hundreds of inquiries since Ms Furlong first went missing. The first major investigation phase in 1993 was followed by renewed investigations in 1996 and 2007.
"We're in this for the long haul though so we need people to stay interested in the long-term outcome of our investigation into who killed Jane Furlong," says Det Insp Benefield.
Police are now asking for anyone with information to come forward. A Facebook page called ‘What happened to Jane’ has been set up along with an email address, furlong@police.govt.nz, and a dedicated 0800 number, 0800 675 263.
Police are holding a press conference at 1pm today where they will release more information.
3 News
source: newshub archive
