The family of missing Canterbury man Richard Leman has confirmed his body was the one found in a parked car in the garage of an abandoned home.
Forty-one-year-old Leman had been missing for more than a week, then on April 17 police found a car parked in a garage on Tyler St, Rangiora, linked to Leman, with a man's body inside.
The discovery soon sparked a police homicide investigation, where police appealed for information and sightings of a 2000s-model white Nissan Fuga, the vehicle linked to his death.
Then on Thursday night, Leman's sister, Nicky Leman confirmed his death via a Facebook post saying: "our much-loved Richard will not be coming home to us as we had hoped and prayed for".
Nicky claims her brother was murdered by "unknown assailants" and is desperate for the offenders to be caught.
Police are yet to confirm Richard's death.
"He has been taken away from us well before his time. We will never receive Richard’s bear hugs again."
Nicky said her brother will never see his three sons grow up, aged 10 years old and younger, or "watch them play rugby or soccer again".
"He was such a proud and devoted father," she said.
"He was the adored son of Norman and Vanessa, the much-loved little brother to Kim, Nicky and Mark, loved brother-in-law to Michelle as well as the doting Uncle to Hayley, Sharise, Brooke, Slade, Ashlee, Matthew, Michael, Izobella, Aleiya, Brooklyn, Kobi and Storm."'
She's asking anyone with information that could assist police, to call 111 or 105 and reference file number 230415/8026.
A GiveALittle page has since been set up by Nicky to assist with the costs of Richard's funeral, saying her brother did not have insurance.
"Any excess funds will be going directly to his three sons."
$1620 had been raised at the time of writing.
