WOMAN'S SCREAMS; THEN A SPLASH

Chronicle (Levin), 24 June 1946, Page 4

WOMAN'S SCREAMS; THEN A SPLASH

-Press Association

MAORI GIRL'S DEATH AFTER STRUGGLE

By TelegrapTi-

NELSON, June 23. That death was due to drowning and that there was evidence- of a struggle having taken place, was revealed in a report by Dr. P. P. Lynch, who carried out a post-mortem examination on the body of the young Maorii woman, Miss Hangi Tai Otimi, aged "21, whieh was found in the Queen's Garden's duckpond by the caretaker, Mr. E. J. Burns on Friday morning. A statement to that effect-was made by the Nelson Policevon Saturday evening. The nature of any injury suffered by the vietim was not disciosed by the police who are conducting an intensive and widespread investigation throughout the city and district. No arrest had been made up to five o'clock today when official sourees had nothing further to report. . On Thursday niglit Miss Otimi went to a local theatre in company with a visitor to the city. The proprietor of a Hai'dy Street fish sliop, Mr. Peter Setka, stated that at 11.30 o'clock on Thursday evening, Miss Otimi bought two shillings worth of fish and cliips in his shop and took it away in a brown paper bag. A nnmber of people who live in Hardy and Bridge s'treets adjaccnt the souther'n and northern cnd_s or the gardens respectively, in interviews with Press representatives have told of hearing sereams in the gardens at about 12.20 o'clock on Friday morning and also a woman 's voiee calling loudly: " What's going on there?" One Bridge Street resident states that he heard a scream at 12.20 a.m., the time being fix'ed in his mind because he was then putting out his milk bottles. His neighbour said she heard about five sereams and also a woman 's. vojce asking what was going on. She had no idea of the time. The proprietress of Airedale Boarding House in Hardy Street said she left her kitehen about half ari hour before midnight to go to bed. Later she lieard what she described as terrifmng sereams coming from the gardens. She then heard a woraan's voice call loudty: "What's going on there. " She did not investigate the matter, thinking that whoever had called out would see what had happ.ened. .Tust- after' that she lieard a splash in the water, noise by the ducks and then someone rurtning over the wooden footbridge whicli spans the pond about thirty vards away from the Hardy Street entrance to the gardens. The occupant of the nearest house whieh adjoins the south-western corner of the gardens and is only about 40 vards away from the scene of the tragedy, said she heard sereams and a splash but did not call out. Most people questioned said it was not unusual to hear noises and calls in the gardens at night time and tliey were there.fore not as alarmed by Thursday night 's disturbance as they inight otherwise have been. In any case no one reported the matter to ihe police whose first notifieation that any-( thing untoward had happened, was the caretaker 's report on finding the body. While the bodv remained on the side of the pond where it was placed by the caretaker, it was identified by Miss TTuria Stepheris who h-ad know:ri Miss Otimi when she was living in* Motueka some months ago. Miss Otinii who f'ormerly resided at Tokaanu, came to the Nelson district under the directiori of the Manpower autliorities and undertoxik work in. the.tQbaeeo ,plari.tations on IMt. F. A. Hamilton 's property at Riwaka. Early in May she left that farm to work for Mr. Rov Hunter in the same district. During her time in Motueka she lived at the Motueka dehvdration plant hostel. About a month ago she left Motueka to join the laundry staff at Nelson College,