A man has denied kidnapping and murdering Yanfei Bao in Christchurch.
On Tuesday the man accused of kidnapping and murdering Bao, a 52-year-old man who has name suppression, pleaded not guilty to both charges at the High Court in Christchurch. The man was dressed in orange prison-issued clothing.
Bao's family were present for the man's appearance, with court security reserving 10 seats for them in the public gallery.
The man had already made his first court appearance on the kidnapping charge, while the murder charge was only filed on Tuesday morning.
He is understood to have been living in New Zealand for a matter of months and was renting in the suburb of Bryndwr.
The man was remanded in custody after entering his not-guilty pleas on Tuesday to re-appear next month.
Earlier on Tuesday, after confirming the murder charge, police released images of a tracksuit, top and spade. Det Insp Nicola Reeves said it's believed those items were discarded in the Christchurch area sometime between July 19 - the day Bao went missing - and July 22.
"The spade is brand new," Det Insp Reeves said.
"Anyone that saw someone acting in an unusual manner or can assist police in locating the whereabouts of the tracksuit, the top and spade is asked to please contact police."
The latest developments come a day after police announced the search for Bao was being paused.
Reeves said on Monday the decision was made so further areas of interest could be prepared for search activity.
It's nearly been a month since Bao went missing.
Since she disappeared, searches have been carried out at several locations across the city since her disappearance, including multiple properties and waterways, but have yet to find her body.
