Police investigating the disappearance of a Whanganui woman say a body they have found is badly decomposed, making if difficult to identify.
Police say it is too early to confirm whether it is that of Marice McGregor, 45, but the discovery may be linked to her disappearance.
Ms McGregor was last seen on 19 April collecting pine cones in the Lismore forest, 20km from Whanganui, where her car was found abandoned.
A body was discovered down a ravine in dense bush 20km north of Whanganui near State Highway 4 on Wednesday evening and has been retrieved.
Detective Senior Sergeant Gwynne Pennell says the body has been in the ravine for some time exposed to the environment and weather, making identification by the pathologist and coroner difficult.
Ms Pennell says a post-mortem is continuing, and escalating a missing person inquiry to a criminal investigation will depend on what the coroner says.
A team of 10 investigators at the scene will be joined by four more search specialists and two police divers on Saturday.
