On the 12th of July 2005, a dog walker in Waikowhai Reserve, Auckland, New Zealand, discovered a pile of refuse', which quickly contained a human body. Katrina Jefferies (22) had been rapped in red tarpaulin, a yellow raincoat, and plastic bin bags, then partly rolled down a bank off Waikowhai Road. She was just one kilometer (0.6 miles) from her home.
Katrina Jefferies was a mother to one son whom she had left with her mother Nicola on Saturday night on the 10th of June 1999. She had claimed to be going to the liquor store but was never seen alive again. It was the next Tuesday that her remains were found in a state of undress.
Katrina had had a hard life starting in 1999 when her brother drowned at sea. She had been bullied in school and dropped out, and had begun drinking heavily and using drugs. At 19 she got pregnant and her son was just two years old when she died. After not being seen after heading to the shop, her mother Nicola reported her missing.
Investigation
According to an article on Stuff NZ, a witness reported seeing a shirtless man leaving a car near Waikowhai Rd at a time when Jefferies' body was likely dumped. A nearby CCTV camera recorded a car entering and leaving Waikowhai Rd in the same time period. It may have belonged to the perpetrator(s). In that same article criminal psychologist, Shreena Hira believes that Katrina was likely murdered in a separate location and then dumped quickly in the spot she was located. She believes the perpetrator likely had help, possibly from a family member.
One piece of evidence that suggests the body was dumped quickly, was that the body was only partially rolled down the bank, making it more likely it would be discovered. If the killer had had plenty of time to get rid of the body he could have pushed her further down. This either suggests that killer was worried about being caught in the act of disposing of the body, or that he had other commitments (work/ Family/ etc) that restricted his time.
The exact cause of Katrina's death has never been released, with police only saying that it was 'highly unusual'. We know that Katrina partook in alcohol and some drugs, however, the results of her blood screen at autopsy have not been published - making death by overdose (or forced overdose) impossible to rule in or out.
We know Katrina had at some point in her life used a free dating phone chat line called Hot Gossip and would meet up with people from there to go out partying with. I don't know whether she still did this at the time of her murder.
The Stuff NZ article also revealed that there were injuries around her head and neck, which suggested a sexual element to the crime, along with her missing clothes. They also revealed that the perpetrator was likely a local as they knew the Waikowhai Rd bank was a popular dump site.
Police have revealed images of items found at the dump site, including a painting and marine ply.
