A woman who was found dead in her Christchurch home was a Colombian national who has been here for 10 years, police say.
Police were called to the home of Juliana Cayena Bonilla Herrera, 37, in Grove Road, Addington at 10pm on Saturday night and later launched a homicide investigation.
Stuff reported police were called by a concerned friend after Herrera didn't turn up for a hike that morning.
Oriana Perkinson told Stuff friends tried calling her and even went to her house but couldn't get hold of her.
"Everyone started getting worried. They started calling her and asking if anyone had seen her and after a while they said, 'No, this is very unlike her,' so they went to her house.
"They saw that the lights were on and that the car was there and they found everything suspicious, so they called the police," she told Stuff.
Perkinson, who was an ex-partner of Herrera, said she was a "quiet and reserved girl," and a "gentle soul" who was always happy and loved to dance.
Police said her family had been informed and were being supported by victim support.
A scene examination at Grove Road is likely to be in place until the end of the week.
