Source: Radio New Zealand
A photo of Mitchell Cole that was released by police. Supplied / NZ Police
Police are looking for the owner of a parked up quad bike and trailer as part of their search for a person of interest in relation to a double homicide in the central North Island.
Police have been looking for 29-year-old Mitchell Cole since Saturday, after two bodies were found in Ruatiti near Ohakune.
They have advised the public not to approach Cole and to call 111 if they see him.
Police Central District CIB field crime manager Detective Inspector Gerard Bouterey said they were seeking information about the owner of a red quad bike and trailer.
“They are currently parked on Murumuru Road in an area known locally as the airstrip.
“If this quad and trailer are yours, or you know who they belong to, please tell us.”
The Mangapurua and Kaiwhakauka tracks have also been closed while police searched the area, and hunters were being asked to keep out.
Police are also appealing for anyone with useful information to report it online and click ‘Update Report’, or by calling 105, using the reference number 251213/6207.
The area police were focusing on was very remote, with a number of huts, lodges, and camps, Bouterey said.
“Police’s appeal to the public is for anyone who has a hut or lodge in the wider Ruatiti area to please get in touch with us via 105.
“Also, if you have CCTV footage which covers roads in the area and you have not yet spoken to police, please let us know.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand