The man accused of murdering his girlfriend on the Hauraki Plains eight years ago is the brother of a policeman who produces criminal profiles of serious offenders.
Sara Niethe, 32, disappeared after visiting her boyfriend Mark Pakenham in Kaihere on March 30, 2003.
Her body was never found but this month Pakenham, 49, was charged with her murder.
He appeared in the North Shore Distinct court last Thursday and was remanded in custody to appear again next month in the District Court in Thames.
Ms Niethe, from Kerepehi, south of Thames, left Pakenham's house after they had been drinking.
No trace of her or her car was found. The case was never closed but police said after reviewing the evidence they charged Pakenham with her murder.
His brother Detective Sergeant Brett Pakenham runs the police criminal profiling unit in Auckland. He has a diploma in police studies and a psychology degree.
He told the Waikato Times he would not comment about his brother's arrest, saying it was a difficult time for both families, and Ms Niethe's children.
He has spent five years pursuing international war criminals from a base in The Hague in The Netherlands.
He told NZPA several years ago he felt immensely satisfied as he watched an army general handcuffed and read his rights, after several years helping track him down and compile war crimes evidence against him.
He said it was very rewarding when he put a bulletproof vest on General Milivoj Petkovic at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, handcuffed him, and told him he was under arrest for war crimes.
