Tingjun Cao has been revealed as the man accused of murdering Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao.
The 52-year-old Bryndwr man was initially charged with kidnapping in relation to Bao's disappearance, however, he has since been additionally charged with murder after police upgraded the case to a homicide investigation.
Cao has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Cao appeared via video link in Christchurch's High Court on Friday morning before Justice Cameron Mander where his interim name suppression lapsed. A trial date was also set for October 2024.
According to Stuff, Cao, a Chinese national, has only been in New Zealand since March.
Bao, a 44-year-old mother-of-one, vanished while carrying out work as a real estate agent in west Christchurch on July 19, never to be seen again.
Her disappearance sparked extensive air, land and ground searches across several suburbs in Christchurch under a police investigation dubbed Operation Helo. Officers have also been combing through over 200 pieces of information from the public into her disappearance.
Cao was arrested at Christchurch International Airport on July 23 and charged with kidnapping. Three days later, the case moved from a missing person investigation to a homicide investigation, as police believed Bao was dead.
Cao was charged with murder on August 15.
In recent weeks, police have been appealing for information about a tracksuit, top, and spade believed to have been discarded around the time of the alleged murder.
The over six-week-long search for Bao continues.
