Unidentified Man Found Dead In Car

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31781, 11 September 1968, Page 1

Unidentified Man Found Dead In Car

(From Our Own Reporter)

GREYMOUTH, September 10.

A young man was found dead inside a car, upside down in about 4ft of water in Sawyers Creek, at the intersection of Tainui and Heaphy Streets, half a mile south of Greymouth, about 6 a.m. today. The man, a part Maori, has not been identified.

Property in the car has been identified as having been stolen from a firm in Cobden. Five premises there were burgled on Monday night or early this morning.

The car, a blue, 1951 VB, was owned by a Qhristchurch man a week ago. He sold it to another man living in Christchurch. The second man sold it to a man he said was part-Maori, who gave the seller a name and Christchurch address, but when the police checked today the name and address were found to be false. A driver’s licence found in the crashed car was one reported stolen in Auckland and the man in the car was wearing a black leaf -r jacket with the name of an Auckland group painted in white on it.

Papers on the man indicated that he had lived, or had been staying in Harman Street, Addington, but inquiries by Christchurch police today failed to uncover any evidence that the dead man lived in the street. MAN’S DESCRIPTION A description of the man has been sent to all New Zealand police stations. He was about sft lOin, of strong build, with black, straight hair, receding at the front. His fingerprints were flown

to Wellington today and they will be checked against those on file at Police Headquarters. The file contains about 2 million fingerprint records, but classification can reduce the search to fewer than 10.000.

The car crashed through a safety railing and went down a steep, 40ft bank, before it landed upside down in the creek. The dead man suffered

only moderate injuries and the Greymouth police believe that he was drowned.

Detective Sergeant N. Dennehy and Detective P. Howat, in charge of the inquiries in Greymouth, believe that the accident happened about 4.30 a.m. today. The detectives have found no evidence that any other person was in the car when it crashed, but do not rule out that possibility. A book of warrant of fitness stickers was found in the car and a considerable sum in silver coins was also in the car. Some of the silver was found behind the dashboard. COBDEN THEFTS More than $llO, mostly in silver, some cigarettes and a book of warrant of fitness stickers were stolen when t(ie premises of Cobden Motors, Ltd, was broken into, said Detective Howat. The sticker numbers proved that those in the car were stolen from the garage.

A step ladder was used to force open a fanlight in Kells Hotel, Cobden, and $lO in silver was stolen. The Cobden Hotel was entered by a forced rear door, and a till containing about $4O, another till containing $2O, and a flagon containing $3O in small change were stolen.

The Mawhera Meat Company’s shop nearby was entered by a forced window and about $lO in notes and cash was stolen. A small safe was tilted on its side, but not opened. An attempt to force open the front door of Nimmo’s store was unsuccessful.

Inquiries into his death were continuing in Greymouth this evening.