The man accused of murdering an Ellerslie couple will keep his name a secret for now.
In a significant development in the case, police arrested and charged a man in Hamilton on Thursday night with two counts of murder in relation to the deaths of Fuk-Fu Joseph Kwok and Mei Han Chong.
The 42-year-old man, who is from the Auckland suburb of Glenfield, appeared in Auckland District Court via audio-visual link before Judge Andrea Manuel on Friday afternoon. He entered no plea and was granted interim name suppression.
The man was remanded in custody and will reappear in the Auckland High Court later this month.
Kwok, 66, was allegedly stabbed to death over the weekend at their home.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard said police aren't ruling out further charges. Due to the nature of Kwok's injuries, he believes more people could have been involved.
His arrest came not long before police made the tragic discovery of the body of Kwok's wife who had been missing since his death.
Police confirmed on Friday Mei Han Chong, 67, was found dead in Greenhithe, Auckland. The family's vehicle was also found at an unrelated address on Hall Road in Glenfield with a different registration number.
A scene guard remains at the Ellerslie address and there will be an increased police presence across Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland on Friday as police continue to investigate the alleged murders at the identified locations of interest.
"I have to thank our outstanding team who has worked tirelessly and through the night to bring a resolution to this family," Det Insp Beard said.
"Our investigation team identified activity near the Celtic Crescent address on the night of the alleged homicide, which has allowed us to scour through hours’ worth of CCTV to locate a vehicle of interest.
"We are of course devastated to locate Ms Chong in these circumstances and are now providing support to a son who has lost both his parents."
What happened
Kwok was found unresponsive by a family member at his Auckland home on Monday evening. He was pronounced dead at the scene by police.
His death was first treated as "unexplained" but later, a homicide investigation was launched by police.
Det Insp Beard said Kwok was killed in a violent and brutal manner. He believed the death of Kwok occurred after midnight on Saturday night.
"He died as a result of multiple stab wounds. The nature of some other injuries suggests more than one offender could have been involved," he said.
"We are working to understand why he was the target of this aggressive and unwarranted assault."
Kwok's wife Chong was missing and police said on Thursday she may be the victim of foul play.
The couple's son, who is in his 30s, told police his mother's disappearance was "totally out of character". Chong did not drive so police said it was likely someone had driven her away.
Police also said evidence inside the house suggested she did not leave voluntarily.
Det Insp Beard said police are trying to establish whether this is a targeted attack on the family or not. He confirmed no murder weapon had been found yet.
Det Insp Beard said there is still significant work to be done in regards to this investigation.
"Police will continue to provide further information as the investigation allows," he said.
"In saying that, we know there is significant interest in the details, however, as the matter is now before the Court, police are limited in further comment."
Watch police's Friday update in the video player below. If you can't see it in your Newshub app, click here.
