Police have found the body of a Waikato man missing for five months.
The Pukemoremore local was last seen on June 6. The 44-year-old man's car was found a week later in a carpark at the end of Grey Road, near the Pirongia Lodge.
Waikato police and Search and Rescue (SaR) then spent the past five months searching around the Mt Pirongia area.
"Yesterday afternoon a body was located at the summit," Senior Sergeant Paul Slater says.
"I'd like to acknowledge this enormous effort by SaR over such an extended period of time.
"This significant deployment was about returning a loved one to their family and I hope it brings some sense of closure."
The man's next-of-kin have been notified and his death referred to the Coroner.
The man's identity will be formally confirmed and released in the coming days.
Newshub.
