25 Mar 2014

Bones in drain that of woman - police

5:09 pm on 25 March 2014

Bones found in an Auckland drain are that of a woman, police say.

A skull and bones from a torso and leg were discovered next to the Totaravale Reserve on the North Shore on Monday.

A police spokesperson said although the post-mortem on the bones showed they were female, more tests were needed to find out the woman's identity.

There is speculation the remains could be connected to missing Auckland woman Bin Chen, who was known as Cissy. The 44-year-old disappeared from her home in Torbay in November 2012.

The police spokesperson said the Totaravale drain would continue to be searched by officers for further parts of a skeleton.

The police were keeping an open mind as to the identity of the woman, the spokesperson said.