Family and friends have farewelled young Auckland woman Jane Furlong almost two decades after she went missing.
A homicide investigation is underway after confirmation a skeleton found on a beach at Port Waikato in May was that of Ms Furlong, who disappeared in 1993 from Auckland's red light district on Karangahape Road.
About 120 people gathered at St Georges Anglican Church in the Auckland suburb of Epsom to pay tribute.
Ms Furlong's mother Judith Furlong spoke and described her daughter as an outgoing girl with a daring and fearless spirit.
She said the service had brought some closure but prayed for the day the truth of what happened to her daughter would be revealed.
Ms Furlong's aunt Margaret Furlong asked the gathering to remember her niece as a young girl with loving friends and family and not a prostitute.
Her family had chosen not to hold a service until her remains were found.
