Police say it is too early to say whether a mother of four found dead in her south Auckland house on Monday was the victim of a bungled home invasion.
The body of Leanne Kingston, 39, was found by her sister inside her home in Cargill St, Papakura, about 4pm.
Detective Inspector Mark Gutry said the scene examination would continue over the next few days.
He said police were keeping an open mind about the circumstances surrounding her death.
However, initial investigations showed there "were obvious signs of violence within the property".
Mr Gutry said there was a disturbance at the house about 12.45pm and a neighbour reported hearing what sounded like a window breaking.
He could not confirm whether or not the woman had been found in the bathroom where she had been cleaning. A post mortem was being carried out today.
Mr Gutry urged anyone with information that might help the inquiry to contact police.
Ms Kingston, a triplet, lived at the house with her children, who are aged eight to 19, and with whom she shared custody with her ex-partner.
The children are being cared for by relatives.
On Monday, Ms Kingston's family became concerned when she failed to collect one of her children from school.
Residents said there had been several break-ins in the area.
One woman, who had been a victim of a home invasion and didn't want to be named, expressed concern for the safety of solo mothers in the street.
Meanwhile, friend and neighbour Margaret Tate said Ms Kingston and her on-and-off partner couldn't live together but could not stay apart.
"They used to have time out, he would go out of the country or to the South Island for a while," she told the New Zealand Herald.
