Homicide investigation after arson


Saturday, 25 February 2012, 1:24 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Police

Homicide investigation after arson

Christchurch Police have confirmed that the investigation into the death of a 28 year old man in a house fire at Oxford on Wednesday is now a homicide investigation.

Two men have been arrested today on charges unrelated to the death.

The deceased has yet to be formally identified but is believed to be Sameera Chandrasena, a 28 year old Sri Lankan who was the sole occupant of the house on Domain Road, Oxford, which was extensively damaged by fire on Wednesday morning.

Detective Inspector Virginia Le Bas says a post mortem carried out yesterday indicated that the deceased had died as a result of injuries consistent with an assault, and was dead prior to the fire commencing.

"As a result of our enquiries two men were arrested early this morning on charges which are not related to the death," Detective Inspector Le Bas says. "Both men were known to the deceased.

"One man has been arrested on unrelated assault charges and was remanded in custody until 5 March after an appearance this morning. The other man has been detained on immigration matters.

"The enquiry is continuing and we expect further charges relating to the death and the arson will be laid."

Detective Inspector Le Bas says a search will be conducted today in the vicinity of Bealey Avenue, Springfield Road, Holly Road and Manchester Street in St Albans, Christchurch, looking for items of clothing and property which may have been discarded.

"If anyone in that area finds any unusual items or has seen any suspicious activity in the early hours of Wednesday 23rd, we would ask them to contact Christchurch police on (03) 3637400," Detective Inspector Le Bas says.

A team of 25 staff are working on the investigation, with investigators expected to continue the scene examination at the Oxford property for several days.

ENDS

Read More @ Source



Criminal Stories Here

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homicide victim found at vacant Everett house

Image
EVERETT -- Police on Wednesday were canvassing the View Ridge-Madison neighborhood in Everett after a man was found dead there the night before. A neighbor spotted the man on the ground outside a vacant house at 22 Madison St. He called 911 about 6:20 p.m. The man had obvious signs of trauma to his torso, police said. He looked to be in his late 20s or early 30s. The Everett Major Crimes Unit is investigating the death as a homicide, Lt. Robert Goetz said. Detectives declined to say more about how they believe the man may have died. There are no identified suspects or motives. Detectives received a search warrant around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday and collected evidence at the scene. They returned Wednesday afternoon to look for clues in the daylight, Goetz said. The victim's identity had not been determined as of late Wednesday afternoon. The body was turned over to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office. Anyone with information is asked to call 425-257-8450. Rikki King: 425-
Keep reading

Manslaughter charges possible in boy's death

Image
Published: Thursday, August 23, 2012, 5:55 p.m. MONROE -- Detectives believe a 7-year-old Monroe boy's parents should face second-degree manslaughter charges in connection with his January overdose death. Monroe police this week wrapped up their probe into the boy's Jan. 30 death and forwarded the case to prosecutors to decide if his parents should face criminal charges. Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Lisa Paul likely will begin reviewing the case in the coming days. She doesn't expect to make a charging decision in the near future, however. "It's quite an extensive investigation, and I want to review it thoroughly before I make any decision," she said. The boy, identified as "A.J." in court papers, ingested a lethal amount of salicylates, a chemical common in aspirin and other over-the-counter drugs. The medical examiner declined to conduct an autopsy on the boy, making it difficult to determine how the drug ended up in the boy's system. A
Keep reading