Crimeline: Skippers Road - Search for woman missing five days

Skippers Road - Search for woman missing five days

Police and LandSAR volunteers continue to scour the rugged hill country around Skippers Saddle and Mount Dewar for the second day today (24 September) in the hope of finding clues as to the whereabouts of a missing woman last seen at Skippers Saddle, near Coronet Peak, on Friday, 18 September.

Concerned Police put out an appeal to the public for sightings on Tuesday night (22 September) after Erika, a woman of Brazilian descent, was reported missing. They said in a social media post that they and her family had “concerns for her welfare and would like to see her return home”.

Police Search and Rescue are working with Queenstown Coastguard today to search the immediate areas, both land and water.

A Queenstown Coastguard spokesman says one of their skippers went in with specialist drone equipment yesterday (23 September) to assist Police in scanning a tarn in the area as part of the search. It’s understood nothing of interest was found there.

As of today, a Police spokesperson says Erika’s rental car had been located at Skippers Saddle, by the entrance to Skippers Canyon, near Coronet Peak, but not her.

Erika, who has dark curly hair and usually wears glasses, was last seen wearing a black hat, tan, brown puffer jacket, black tights and hiking boots and was driving a white Toyota Rav4 rental car, registration RKM122, Police say.

Police continue to appeal to the public for any recent sightings of Erika and are urging anyone who has seen Erika, the Toyota rental car, or know of her whereabouts or movements, to please call 105 and reference file number 260921/8173.

 

Car rolls off Peninsula Road
Frankton Fire Brigade volunteers were called just after 12.30pm yesterday to assist in freeing the driver of a company van that had overturned off Peninsula Road in Kelvin Heights, hitting a parked car and rolling over down a bank.

Frankton chief fire officer Paul Halsted says the van had landed in a private driveway on its side and officers were needed to help get the driver out.

A St John Ambulance spokesperson says two ambulances responded with six patients assessed at the scene, one transported to Lakes District Hospital with moderate injuries. The rest had minor injuries.

The cause of the accident was unknown at this stage.

 

Concerning speeds – Police warnings
Otago Lakes Roading Police are warning they’ll be out in force over the school holidays after concerning speeds of up to 146km/hr were allegedly clocked when they stopped numerous drivers for allegedly exceeding the speed limit along the Tarras-Omarama Highway on Tuesday, 22 September. A driver who allegedly clocked 146km/hr was suspended, had a rental vehicle agreement terminated by the rental car company and was slapped with a $630 fine, Otago Lakes Road Policing Manager Senior Sergeant Clint Wright says. Other drivers were allegedly clocked at 140km/hr and 132km/hr, receiving significant fines.

 

15 shoplifting charges
A local man in his 20s was charged with 15 counts of shoplifting after he was arrested on Monday, 21 September. Constable Amanda Shute says the charges related to the alleged shoplifting of grocery items totalling around $340 from a local supermarket during the past month. The man will appear in court on 5 October.

 

Serious injuries – Head on
An 18-year-old Queenstown man and a 60-year-old Gore man were both flown to Dunedin Hospital with serious injuries on Friday,18 September, after a campervan and a car had a head-on collision on the Lindis Pass-Tarras Road, Police say.

Wright says the crash happened at 3pm just north of Cluden Hill and inquiries are continuing into the cause.

Inquiries were also continuing into a collision on Killarney Street, Alexandra, in which a vehicle allegedly reversed out of a driveway, colliding with an 89-year-old female pedestrian. Wright says she was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital but unfortunately passed away the next day.

A 22-year-old Queenstown man also underwent a roadside oral fluid test on Kawarau Gorge Road about 7pm on Sunday, 20 September, which allegedly returned a positive result for an illicit substance.

Wright says a second sample was obtained and sent for laboratory testing and Police are awaiting the results. The driver was forbidden to drive for 12 hours.

 

Drink driving
Local man in his 30s, Frankton Road, 480mcg, 3.20am, 20 September. Court 28 September.

Central Otago man in his 20s, Gibbston Highway, 477mcg, 9.40pm, 18 September. Court 19 October.