Man charged after body of missing Christchurch father is found

Police have discovered the body of 21-year-old Braydon Hepworth buried in a shed at a Hereford Street property in Linwood. The body was found last Thursday during the execution of search warrants. Hepworth had been missing since 3 September, when he was last seen on security footage at a Linwood Z Energy station.

A 60-year-old man has appeared in court facing charges of concealing Hepworth's body and making a false statement to police. Charge sheets allege the man “improperly offered an indignity” to the body on 7 September. The man has interim name suppression and is due in court on 29 October.

The circumstances of Hepworth's death remain unexplained, as a post-mortem examination was inconclusive. Police are awaiting further test results to clarify what happened.

Hepworth's death has prompted resignations at the Christchurch City Mission, where he had previously stayed in transitional housing. A staff member, known as Alex, resigned, claiming Hepworth was given only 15 minutes to collect his belongings before being evicted in July.

Compiled from reports by Stuff, The Press, NZ Herald, RNZ and Otago Daily Times.