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Source: ONE News -
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Police are awaiting results of forensic examinations carried out on a body found in the Waikato River near Mercer last week to determine the person's identity.
Hamilton CIB said the body of a woman was recovered by Auckland staff from the river near Mercer on Monday last week.
"Given the state the body was found in we were prevented in being able to carry out an immediate identification," said Detective Senior Sergeant Karl Thornton.
Currently police are still looking for 40-year-old Korean woman, Eunki Kim, who disappeared after her Toyota Surf vehicle plunged off Hamilton's Pukete Bridge into the Waikato River on Wednesday June 6, Thornton said.
Kim was believed to be the driver of this vehicle and a witness reported at the time someone struggling in the water near the vehicle, however an extensive land and water search conducted at the time failed to locate her, he said.
Thornton said as a result of the length of time the woman's body had been in the water police were awaiting the results of forensic examinations so as to be able to formally identify who she was.
Kim's family were informed of the body's recovery and the challenges associated with identifying who it is last week and they have been assisting police with their enquiries throughout, Thornton said.