Police seek man seen on Mt Dewar track near Queenstown
Wednesday 30 September 2026 · 4 outlets · 4 reports · updated 
Police are looking for a man who was seen on the Mt Dewar summit track around 12.30pm on 18 September. He may have information regarding the disappearance of 47-year-old Erika Rodrigues Coelho. The Brazilian national has not been heard from since the day she vanished.
Key facts
5 facts
- Erika Rodrigues Coelho, 47, is a Brazilian national living in Queenstown
- The missing woman was last seen on 18 September
- The rental vehicle is a white Toyota RAV4, registration RKM122
- The vehicle was found at Skippers Saddle near Coronet Peak
- Police reference number for information is 260921/8173
The full story
1 min read · 3 outlets
Police are searching for a man who may have information regarding the disappearance of 47-year-old Erika Rodrigues Coelho. The man was seen on the Mt Dewar summit track near Coronet Peak at approximately 12.30pm on Friday, 18 September. He is described as being in his 30s, of Asian complexion, with a slim build and average to taller height. He has short dark hair, is clean-shaven, and may be a tourist.
Rodrigues Coelho, a Brazilian national living in Queenstown, has not been heard from since 18 September. Police were alerted to her disappearance on 20 September. Her rental vehicle, a white Toyota RAV4 with a black roof and registration RKM122, was located at Skippers Saddle near Coronet Peak. Authorities believe the car was parked there during the afternoon or evening of 18 September.
Search efforts have involved Land Search and Rescue volunteers, drones, search dogs, a helicopter, and Coastguard Queenstown. Volunteers have spent hundreds of hours searching the Shotover River, Devil’s Creek, and other nearby catchments. A Coastguard volunteer also used an underwater drone to search a mountain tarn near Skippers Saddle.
Senior Sergeant John Fookes stated, “We’re hoping to get some sort of indication of where she may have been or obviously find Erika”. Anyone with information or who recognises the man should contact police via 105 or Crime Stoppers. If anyone sees Rodrigues Coelho, they are asked to call 111 immediately.
Where reports differ
- Reports differ on whether the rental vehicle was found on Monday, 21 September or 21 September
Compiled from reports by NZ Herald, 1News and The Press.
