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A three year old missing persons inquiry has taken two giant leaps forward.
Wellington police have charged a man with the murder of Harold Skudder and later found skeletal remains in Upper Hutt.
A 26-year-old Wellington man was granted interim name suppression when he appeared in Lower Hutt District Court charged with murder. He was remanded in custody until March 26.
Skudder disappeared in 2006, but his body may now have been found after police combing a bank in the Hutt Valley discovered the remains. Detective Inspector Cotter says the skeleton was found down a steep bank and an area of Moonshine Hill Road has now been cordoned off.
Cotter says a formal identification will be made, possibly using dental records or DNA.
Skudder, 38, was last seen at the Taita shops in 2006 and was reported missing by his mother a year later in January 2008.
The discovery of remains, although grisly, has been welcomed by the father of seven's family.
"It's been devastating for the family...closure for adults as we prepare to bring our brother's body home," says Skudder's brother Ben.
The missing person's file has always been open and it was a member of the public who gave police information via the 0800 tip off number that led to Friday's developments.
"People's circumstances change...I'm not sure why this person has come forward now but we're grateful for the information," says Cotter.
Police believe the two were known to each other but would not say how and they are still speaking to witnesses and searching for evidence.
