Police in Hastings have levied murder charges against a 30-year-old local man following the grim discovery of a body in a charred car earlier in the week.
The individual was taken into custody in the afternoon and is slated to make a court appearance at the Hastings District Court on March 30.
The incident triggered a homicide investigation after emergency personnel responded to reports of a car ablaze on Irongate Road in Hastings around 8:40 PM last Tuesday. It wasn’t long before it was determined that there was a deceased individual inside the vehicle.
The process of formally identifying the deceased is currently underway.
Even with the suspect’s arrest, investigators acknowledge that several critical questions remain unanswered. They suspect that there are individuals within the community possessing crucial information that could aid in the investigation, some of whom might not be aware of the importance of what they know.
Authorities are urging anyone with relevant information, including those who might have witnessed the incident, possess CCTV footage, or have any detail that could assist the police in their investigation, to step forward.
Members of the public can report information by visiting the Hastings Police Station, calling the police at 105, or submitting a report online at the official police website with the reference file number 240327/2456. For those preferring to provide information anonymously, Crime Stoppers is available at 0800 555 111.
