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Police staff investigate a scene after an unexplained death in the Wellington suburb of Tawa - Source: Fairfax -
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A thirty eight year-old man has appeared in court this morning following the violent death of a Wellington mother.
Ernest Smith has been charged with the murder of Amanda Dawn Taufale, 33, who was found dead in her Tawa home yesterday morning.
Smith has been remanded in custody, and is due to appear in court again on December 7.
After his arrest last night, police asked for a psychiatric report to be prepared but a forensic nurse who spoke with Smith said there were no issues.
Police believe Smith is a close associate of Taufale.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Oxnam said Taufale's family would be "relieved" to hear of the arrest.
Her two sons, one aged 15 and the other six-months-old, were with Taufale's body when police arrived.
"They're traumatised. They've lost their mother and that's just awful," Oxnam said.
"The investigation team is still working hard to understand the exact events leading up to Amanda's death," he said.
Oxnam would not give details of how she died until after a post-mortem examination due today had taken place, "but we are confident it is a violent death," he said.
Police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.
His car - a late-model blue Toyota Corolla hatchback, registration GMB108 - was found abandoned in the car park of the nearby Takapu Rd railway station and was being examined by police.
Oxnam urged anyone who had seen the car or any of its passengers in Tawa since Wednesday to speak to police.