Four Bodies Found In Auckland House

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29361, 14 November 1960, Page 14

Four Bodies Found In Auckland House

(New Zealand Pres* Association]

AUCKLAND, November 13.

The badly mutilated bodies of three men and a woman were found in a dilapidated house in Hutton road, Birkenhead, tonight. A large force of police and detectives under the direction of Detective Superintendent C. L. Spencer, officer in charge of the Auckland Criminal Investigation Branch, are investigating the deaths. The police were not able to release the names of the victims at a late hour. They were not sure whether the killer was still at large or was one of those found dead.

Police officers described the tragedy as “one of the worst of its kind” for many years. When the police arrived at the scene at 7.15 p.m. blood was running out of the doors and the bodies were lying in the front of the house.

The property is in a secluded tree-surrounded gully at the bottom of Hutton road. It is the last house in the road and backs on to the Chelsea: sugar refinery. The bodies were found by 16-year-old Tony Jones, who had returned at 7 pun. from an outing with friends. He ran into the neighbouring house of Mr and Mrs W. Nicholson. Mr Nicholson immediately drove to the Birkenhead police station and informed Constable N. Stewart. Constable Stewart alerted the Takapuna police and then drove to the scene of the tragedy. The police pathologist, Dr. D. J. A. Doyle, arrived at the house at 8.50 p.m. and remained until the bodies were removed.

Superintendent Spencer said: "All I can say, at this stage, is that there are four bodies in the house. Until we make further inquiries and get the result of the post-mortem examination I can not express an opinion of the circumstances of the tragedy.”

Superintendent Spencer left the scene carrying an axe taken from the house. He said there were no gunshot wounds, but a number of cut marks on the bodies. The house which is at the end of a no-exit road is about 30 yards from the neighbouring house. The area opposite is bush clad. Neighbours heard no screams or suspicious sounds throughout the day. Full milk bottles outside the house had not been collected.

A police guard is being kept on the house all night The bodies were not removed until it had been confirmed that the police photographs printed satisfactorily. The boy who discovered the tragedy, Tony Jones, lived in the house.