Found Deceased NEW ZEALAND - Grace Millane, 22, British backpacker, Auckland, 1 Dec 2018 *Arrest*

[JerseyGirl]

Most of her belongings had been left at the hostel.

Police were awaiting information from British banks about Ms Millane’s credit card use.

A team of 25 officers are working on the case and were scouring footage from security cameras across Auckland, which had helped to track her movements.

Missing British backpacker seen with man at hotel before disappearance, say New Zealand police

 

[suzyjackson]

What a baffling case although sadly I think the outcome will be the obvious one.

IMO it's not very likely that something bad happened to Grace that is unconnected to the man that the police have already spoken to . I hope to be wrong and feel very sorry for her family who must be distraught at her appearing to have vanished into thin air.

Could any locals confirm if there are bodies of water or woodland nearby?

 

[Elainera]

She was not found in his room and LE has found nothing to indicate foul play - at least nothing in his room/apartment. But apparently she didn't leave the hotel either.

If he did something to her he must have gotten rid of her body. I assume they are now trying to find him on cctv footage to see when he left the hotel and whether he was carrying something large ...

I would also think that they are searching the whole building top to bottom. It is possible that this man is totally innocent and something happened to her after she left him.

In one of the articles linked previously someone was interviewed and said there is a club at the back of the hotel and that it's quite sketchy. Maybe she went there?

 

[JerseyGirl]

Grace Millane was last seen with a man at the City Life hotel in Auckland at about 9.40pm on December 1.

A CCTV image shows she was at Sky City, a hotel a short distance away, at 7.15pm on the same night - but her whereabouts between those two sightings is unknown.

It's important that anyone who recognises Grace from this photo or saw her on Saturday night contacts Police immediately.

She had travelled to Peru as part of an organised group for six weeks but had not travelled on her own - until she arrived in New Zealand two weeks ago.

She had two mobile phones with her but they both go straight to voicemail.

Mystery over missing two hours before Grace Millane's last sighting | Daily Mail Online

 

[Ben_Bowler98]

Still finding this case absolutely baffling. Footage of her going into the hotel but none of her leaving, yet there is ‘no evidence of foul play’... strange.

 

[Satchie]

Still finding this case absolutely baffling. Footage of her going into the hotel but none of her leaving, yet there is ‘no evidence of foul play’... strange.

Police say "no evidence of foul play" to maintain the legal principle that the suspect is innocent until proven guilty. For example, if they've found blood at the apartment, they have to test it to rule out it's being his.

The likelihood that he is innocent is, unfortunately IMO, quite low. Perhaps he claims she left at 5 am in an Uber.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Still finding this case absolutely baffling. Footage of her going into the hotel but none of her leaving, yet there is ‘no evidence of foul play’... strange.

Welcome, Ben_Bowler!

Have they released the footage of Grace going into the hotel? The last still I saw was the one from SkyCity (is that also a hotel or a entertainment complex?

 

[Elainera]

Welcome, Ben_Bowler!

Have they released the footage of Grace going into the hotel? The last still I saw was the one from SkyCity (is that also a hotel or a entertainment complex?

Hi CoverMe, the image you saw is the only they have released.

 

[bigdog3300]

Who knows, but a young adult out the night before their birthday and likely partying and indulging in a foreign land is a dangerous concoction. Obviously and simply an observation but pills with teens and young adults are more popular than ever, meeting new folks and out and about looking for those things could lead to a dangerous group of people.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Police described the investigation as "progressing rapidly" and said the man was "a person of interest".

The Lucie Blackman Trust, which supports Brits missing abroad, has also been helping Grace's family throughout.

New statement: Grace Millane's family thank Auckland Police for their efforts, make new appeal

An apartment at the hotel was also being treated as a place of interest.

A scene examination was taking place yesterday and a reporter outside the hotel saw two police cars outside, a police officer in the lobby and a black helicopter hovering above yesterday afternoon.

Missing British backpacker Grace Millane: Police speak to man, admit to 'grave fears' for 22-year-old's safety

 

[Ben_Bowler98]

Welcome, Ben_Bowler!

Have they released the footage of Grace going into the hotel? The last still I saw was the one from SkyCity (is that also a hotel or a entertainment complex?

Yeah I just read they have CCTV footage of her going into the hotel but couldn’t see anything said about her leaving. My original thinking was she’d lost signal or lost her phone and gone off grid etc, but guessing that’s unlikely now.

 

[tiffkinsadder]

I feel so bad for them. Prayers.

 

[oushkaboo]

Google Maps
This is a googlemaps view of the lower entrance of the CityLife Hotel. Theres at least 2 cctv cameras, so its fair to assume that if Grace left the building by this entrance then she would have been picked up by them.

Google Maps
This is the gmaps view of checkin/reception. A cursury glance I can see 5 cctv cameras facing from the desk and if you spin around theres a couple more onto the road/drop off point.

I know its early on but covering all bases here...
Google Maps
This is a gmaps of inside an apartment... in the kitchen there is what looks like a ceiling 'hatch'.

Another apartment: Google Maps
Which has a hatch in the closet.

Of course this is all MOO Im pressed towards thinking this way since Elisa Lam... all those days went by with no new info to go on and she was in the water tank on the roof all along.

 

[Elainera]

I was also thinking of Elisa Lam .. I hope they search the whole building. Surprised they haven't done so yet. Shouldn't that be done immediately if they have footage of her entering but not re-emerging?

 

[zecats]

Google Maps
This is a googlemaps view of the lower entrance of the CityLife Hotel. Theres at least 2 cctv cameras, so its fair to assume that if Grace left the building by this entrance then she would have been picked up by them.

Google Maps
This is the gmaps view of checkin/reception. A cursury glance I can see 5 cctv cameras facing from the desk and if you spin around theres a couple more onto the road/drop off point.

I know its early on but covering all bases here...
Google Maps
This is a gmaps of inside an apartment... in the kitchen there is what looks like a ceiling 'hatch'.

Another apartment: Google Maps
Which has a hatch in the closet.

Of course this is all MOO Im pressed towards thinking this way since Elisa Lam... all those days went by with no new info to go on and she was in the water tank on the roof all along.

So if this man who was seen with her at the hotel is familiar with this hotel, lives there, stays there, etc, he has to have known about all the surveillance cameras. Even if not familiar, the camera are obvious. And no one seemed to be hiding from said surveillance. Why would he then proceed to cause her harm? He's going to be an obvious POI. Maybe something happened accidentally and then he felt the need to cover it up?

Another thought. Is there a nightclub behind the hotel as someone mentioned upthread? If so, is there a way into it directly from the hotel? Or out the back?

 

[kiwijayne]

What a baffling case although sadly I think the outcome will be the obvious one.

IMO it's not very likely that something bad happened to Grace that is unconnected to the man that the police have already spoken to . I hope to be wrong and feel very sorry for her family who must be distraught at her appearing to have vanished into thin air.

Could any locals confirm if there are bodies of water or woodland nearby?

There is a harbour (Auckland is split in 2) and no woodland as such but there are big parks.

 

[Elainera]

Another thought. Is there a nightclub behind the hotel as someone mentioned upthread? If so, is there a way into it directly from the hotel? Or out the back?

This is the quote from msm:

They said it was likely she would have gone to the Future Club on the other side of the hotel as that's where a lot of young people go.
"There's always trouble at that place, people getting in fights and things."

Police question man and search hotel as father of missing tourist Grace Millane speaks

The Future Club is located at 22 Durham St W, can someone look on the map where exactly that is? I googled but cannot find the club mentioned in connection with the hotel, so possibly it's located close to the hotel but not inside of it.

It is open from 10pm to 4am.

 

[zecats]

Bluestone Room (Pub) and Future Club (more like a nightclub) are two locations for night life near the City Life Hotel

Google Maps

 

[zecats]

This is the quote from msm:

They said it was likely she would have gone to the Future Club on the other side of the hotel as that's where a lot of young people go.

Police question man and search hotel as father of missing tourist Grace Millane speaks

The Future Club is located at 22 Durham St W, can someone look on the map where exactly that is? I googled but cannot find the club mentioned in connection with the hotel, so possibly it's located close to the hotel but not inside of it.

It is open from 10pm to 4am.

Ha. We posted same thing same time. See my map for location.

 

[Elainera]

Ha. We posted same thing same time. See my map for location.

Oh great! Thanks for the map!