A body has been discovered on Banks Peninsula near where police have been searching for missing Christchurch mother Vanessa Pickering.
Ms Pickering, 27, was last seen leaving her home in the suburb of New Brighton with her seven-year-old daughter and a man on Monday night.
A passer-by found the distraught child in a paddock near Kaiapoi, north of Christchurch, early on Tuesday.
The body has not yet been identified, but police have confirmed that what was a missing person investigation is now a homicide inquiry.
The body was found after police received new information late on Thursday afternoon and is lying in farmland about 300 metres off the road into Godley Head reserve and almost directly above the settlement of Taylors Mistake.
Detective Senior Sergeant Virginia Le Bas says the body has yet to be identified and police have not yet even been able to tell if it is a woman.
However, she confirmed that the investigation into Miss Pickering's disappearance is now a homicide inquiry and that her family have been told of the developments.
Ms Le Bas says the body will be identified as soon as possible.
The Godley Head reserve will be closed to the public for some time as the crime scene is inspected and all relevant forensic material contained.
Man appears in court
A man police believe is linked to Ms Pickering's disappearance appeared in Christchurch District Court on Thursday afternoon.
The duty solicitor representing him applied for interim name suppression, which Judge Michael Crosbie refused.
However, the lawyer said an appeal against this decision would be lodged with the High Court.
Judge Crosbie granted interim name suppression until the man reappears on 23 February and gave his lawyer until 5pm on Thursday to lodge the appeal.
The man is charged with sexual violation and unlawful detention of a child, and assault with intent to commit sexual violation.
Police say Ms Pickering was last seen with this man and her daughter on Monday. He was arrested near Cheviot in North Canterbury on Wednesday afternoon.
