Police officers investigating a homicide after the discovery of a body in south Auckland at the weekend have confirmed the victim is a 16-year-old girl.
The girl, who has yet to be named by police, was found dead just off McVilly Rd, Manurewa, about 4:30pm on Saturday.
Det Snr Sgt Mike Hayward says the victim's family has asked she not be identified and are seeking interim name suppression from the coroner.
"Her family are understandably devastated by her death and are struggling to come to terms with what has occurred," he explained.
"Our community will in no doubt be shocked by the young age of the victim in this investigation."
The investigation is continuing and officers are continuing to look at CCTV footage from the area, he said.
"Our priority is the integrity of the case and releasing too much information at this stage could jeopardise that," said Hayward.
"However, we would like to reassure our community that our detectives are working hard and are piecing together what has led to this girl's death."
Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 105, quoting file 210911/6094.
