21 Jul 2012

Murder charge laid over Tauranga death

8:00 am on 21 July 2012

A 64-year-old man will appear in the Tauranga District Court on Saturday charged with murder.

The arrest follows the death of a woman outside a house in the Tauranga suburb of Judea on Friday afternoon.

Part of the street was cordoned off and a tent was erected to preserve the scene for a forensic examination on Saturday.

Police say once that's completed, the woman's body will be removed and a post-mortem will be held to establish the cause of death.

A scene guard was in place overnight but police said residents affected by the cordon would be able to get to and from their homes.

On Friday evening, officers were still trying to locate and notify the victim's next of kin and her details will not be released until then.

Earlier, police said a dispute between a man and a woman was reported at about 2pm on Friday outside a house in Bell Street.

When officers arrived, they found a body in the driveway.