FATE OF YOUNG GIRL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20924, 14 July 1931, Page 8

FATE OF YOUNG GIRL.

MYSTERY AT WELLINGTON.

INVESTIGATIONS BY POLICE.

DEVELOPMENTS EXPECTED.

POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WELLINGTON, Monday.

Although further sensational developments are expected to follow the discovery by the police on Sunday of the body of Phyllis Avis Symonds, the 17-year-old girl who had been missing for a fortnight, it was learned this evening that no turn of events is expected to occur tomorrow. It was mentioned, however, that the police are still engaged on completing their investigations into the girl's death. Early this morning the body of the girl was viewed at the morgue by the coroner, Mr. E. Page, S.M., after which a postmortem examination was conducted by Dr. P. P. Lynch, pathologist at the Wellington Hospital, and Dr. C. M. Hector. Late this afternoon Mr. Page was not in possession of the doctors' report and had not then issued a certificate for burial. No date for the inquest has yet been fixed.

In response to an inquiry, the commissioner of police, Mr. W. G. Wohlmann. said further action, if any, would not be taken until the police were quite ready to start. It was simply a matter, he said, how long it would take them to complete their work and assemble in proper form the results of their investigation. " We certainly will not go on unless we are ready," he said. "No one will be charged until the police are quite satisfied and until the evidence is quite ready." Sub-Inspector Ward, who was in charge of the digging operations, which were incidentally the biggest ever undertaken by the force in New Zealand, said to-day that credit was due to Detectives W. R. Slurray, N. Baylis, F. Hayhurst and T. Hall for the manner in which they carried out their investigations. City Council officials and relief workers had also rendered valuable assistance.

He added, in connection with Sunday's digging, that the work was done by a party of 26 police and detectives. Sunday leave had been cancelled in order to speed up the work and those men not listed for duty were detailed to proceed with the work at the spoil dump. "It is wonderful the way the men worked," said a police official to-day. " Many of them are not used to manual labour such as they were called upon to do, but in spite of blisters on their hands and the unpleasant weather conditions, they did the work willingly and thoroughly."