DETECTIVES SENT TO GREYMOUTH

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31004, 9 March 1966, Page 1

DETECTIVES SENT TO GREYMOUTH

Man’s Naked Body Found In River

A team of top detectives from Christchurch arrived in Greymouth last evening to make inquiries into the death of a retired fisherman whose naked body was found in the Grey river on Sunday morning.

Four detectives were sent from Christchurch after receipt by the police yesterday afternoon of a preliminary 7 report by a Christchurch pathologist who carried out a post-mortem examination of the bodv of the dead man, John Herman Cook, aged 70.

The police lasf evening would not say what the pathologist found to be the prob-

able cause of death. But it was obvious that death was not now thought to be due to natural causes or accidental drowning.

Detective-Inspector M. T. Churches, Chief Detective S. B. McEwen, Detective-Ser-geant P. O’Donovan, and Detective J. Bermingham left Christchurch by car at 3 p.m. Mr Cook was a widower. He lived with his married son. A married daughter also lives in Greymouth. The son found Mr Cook’s body at 7.30 a.m. on Sundav

It was in a wave trap on the Cobden side of the river. Mr Cook was last seen in a Greymouth hotel about midnight on Friday. He was then

fully clothed, and. the police said, might have had a sum of up to £2O on him. Mr Cook, during the last 12 months, had been helping a trawler owner in fishing out of Greymouth. He had retired from commercial fishing himself a few year’s ago. Severe Bruises Mr Cook’s face had severe bruises on it when he was found. A police spokesman would not confirm or deny that the post-mortem examination revealed that he had suffered blows on his head. The body had suffered no other superficial damage when found. Greymouth police, under the direction of DetectiveSergeant J. P. Crozier, have been searching for the missing clothes. The river has been dragged and a search made between where Mr Cook was last seen and the river. They have found no trace of the clothes or any money.

“We are very interested in finding Mr Cook’s clothing. He was wearing new black, slip-on shoes, green woollen socks, grey sports trousers, a black busa singlet, a light woollen tartan shirt, of predominantly green colour, a sports coat of very heavy tweed, dark grey with white flecks,” Detective - Sergeant Crozier said last evening. “Any person seeing any of this clothing is asked to get in touch with the Greymouth Police Station immediately. After Midnight “We are also very interested in Mr Cook’s movements after midnight on Friday. Any person who saw him. or any man wearing similar clothing, after that time is asked to get in touch with the police.” “We are not regarding this as a murder inquiry. We do not know how Mr Cook died, at present. We know from the preliminary post-mortem report that Mr Cook suffered certain injuries. Our inquiries are concerned with how he came to be injured,” Detective - Inspector Churches said late last night. I