26 Sep 2017

Coroner asked to look into Cooks mystery disappearance

8:08 pm on 26 September 2017

A retired Australian policeman says the Cook Islands Coroner should hold an inquest into the mysterious disappearance of a Venezuelan woman off the coast of Rarotonga more than a year ago.

The woman was on board a yacht about 40 nautical miles off the coast.

Former policeman Rod Henderson, who now lives on Rarotonga, had tried to fathom what had happened to the woman and he feels police and other agencies have not done enough.

He said the normal procedure would be for police to notify the Coroner and for an inquest to be held.

"So I have been patiently waiting for the police to take care of that and to notify the Coroner here in Rarotonga," he said.

"That didn't occur so I took the initiative and I have submitted a report to him and sent him a notification that I believe this woman has died, lost at sea, and under circumstances that would require a coronial inquest."

Rod Henderson also suggests that New Zealand detectives should be brought in to carry out a thorough investigation.