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The body of a missing 21-year-old Christchurch father was found buried under a shed at a Hereford St residential property, police say.
Detective Inspector Scott Anderson confirmed on Wednesday police discovered the body of Braydon Hepworth buried at the rear of the Hereford St property on October 8.
The last confirmed sighting of Hepworth alive was on September 3 at the Linwood Z Energy service station.
Anderson said a significant police operation was involved in finding Hepworth.
Officers executed search warrants across Linwood and Edgeware on October 8 after inquiries suggested Hepworth was no longer alive, locating his body later that morning.
A postmortem examination on Hepworth’s body was completed the day after he was found. Police are now waiting on further test results which they hope will shed more light on what happened to him.
Over the weekend a 60-year-old Christchurch man was charged in relation to the disappearance and death of Braydon Hepworth.
The charges relate to the concealment of the 21-year-old's body and making a false statement.
The man was granted interim name suppression and is scheduled to reappear in court on October 29.
Inquiries into the cause of Hepworth's death remain ongoing, with police describing the investigation as complex.
Anyone with information is urged to call the police on 105.
After his body was found, the grandfather of Hepworth’s child described the family’s “heartbreak” after police found his body.
“After weeks of hoping, searching, wondering and praying that we would find him and bring him home, this is news that none of us ever wanted to hear,” Keen said.
“Braydon meant so much to a lot of people, and this has taken an enormous emotional toll on everyone who has been involved in the search.
-Allied Media