An elderly woman found dead in her Far North home was the victim of a brutal attack, police say.
A post mortem was due today on the body of Barbara Julian, 70, whose body was discovered by friends at her Matthews Avenue, Kaitaia, home on Wednesday.
Police have been questioning a 17-year-old on an unrelated matter but say he is also a "person of interest" in the homicide.
Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Malthus said today it was too early to say if he would be charged with killing Mrs Julian.
"We need to complete our scene examination and our inquiries around the area," she said. She refused to say what injuries were found on the body or whether a weapon was involved.
"She has died brutally and she has died from foul play."
The victim was a "lovely lady" who was a member of a very tight community. Everyone who knew her was in deep shock and had been offered victim support counselling through the police.
"There is a lot of grief out there and a lot of angst over what is going on." It was Mrs Julian's turn to host weekly drinks with her circle of widowed friends on Wednesday afternoon, but she never answered the door. When the friends broke in, they found her dead body.
News of her death left her family shattered.
"She was a warm, loving lady. It's just not right," niece Linda Lunjevich said.
Police said they wanted to hear of any unusual behaviour in the Matthews Avenue area on Wednesday.
