The 13-year-old girl whose body was found inside a burning house in Christchurch yesterday was home sick from school at the time.
Police have launched a homicide investigation into the death of Jade Louise Bayliss after a post mortem examination today indicated she died in "unnatural circumstances''.
She lived with her mother in a Barrington Street house in Somerfield, next to the front gate of Cashmere High School, where Jade was a student.
The Fire Service received "multiple calls''about the fire at about 1.30pm yesterday and the body of the teenager was found inside.
Police believe the fire was deliberately lit, and there was no one else at the property when the body was found.
"There is still more work to be done to confirm the cause of death. The fire at the house may or may not be connected to the death,'' said Detective Inspector Virginia Le Bas.
Jade's mother was struggling to cope with her death, and the family was working with the police to find out what led to the death, and was receiving help from Victim Support.
"It's incredibly difficult because the girl was so young. I don't think they can believe that this is even true. They're extremely distraught and clearly want some answers to what happened, Ms Le Bas said earlier.
"It's a big struggle for them.''
Two men, aged 34 and 40, have been arrested on charges which may or may not be directly related to the death, Ms Le Bas said.
The pair have been remanded in custody and will appear in court at Rangiora on Tuesday.
Ms Le Bas said police were still looking for other people in relation to the death and were "keeping an open mind''.
Police have been following strong lines of enquiry and had been speaking to a number of people, including neighbours.
She said a number of staff had been carrying out a scene examination at the property today, and will continue over the weekend.
"We're making good progress because we're starting to be able to put a picture together of the movements of various people in and around the area. We're getting answers to things we're interested in knowing about.''
She said police were looking to talk to anyone who might have information about the death, and she asked people to phone the Christchurch Central station on 03 363 7400.
