Police found Ms Richmond's vehicle at Lake Arapuni yesterday, where the Police Dive Squad was searching as part of the investigation into her disappearance a year ago.
Detective Senior Sergeant Ross Patterson today confirmed a body was inside.
"The identity of that person is not confirmed yet. That body will go to Auckland for a post-mortem [examination] tomorrow."
When asked about whether any foul play may have been involved, Patterson declined to comment.
Patterson said they reviewed the investigation into Richmond's disappearance "and there were some areas that we wanted to check and make sure that all areas had been done. It's because of this new search that we were able to find the ute."
Divers found the vehicle in 6m deep water, which had poor visibility.
It was pulled from the water by a crane just before midday.
Police said Richmond's family has been informed.
