Fri 9 Dec 2011 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Hayden Miles, 16, was last seen by his family in August Police are understood to be running a parallel homicide investigation as they search for missing Christchurch teenager Hayden Miles, and his family is appealing to the glbti community for help. Hayden Peter Miles, 16, has been missing from the Christchurch area since 22 August, which is when his family last had contact with him. The police are understood to be considering the possibility he may have at some stage left Christchurch and headed to a northern centre. In October a man identifying himself as the youth's uncle sent out an email to a number of community groups asking the glbt community for help tracking his nephew down. "We believe that Hayden has some friends in the lgbt community and would greatly appreciate it if anyone who might have any information on his possible whereabouts could contact his family or the police so we know that he is safe," he wrote. At the time, before the seriousness of the situation was clear, GayNZ.com contacted the uncle for further and corroborating information but he did not respond. Hayden's uncle said the family was even then worried for his safety, "both because he has been missing for so long and because he suffers from depression". APNZ is today reporting that while police are still publicly calling the 16-year-old's disappearance a missing person's case, it understands that a parallel homicide investigation has been underway for days. It says the shift in police focus coincides with an ongoing detailed forensic search of a run-down house at 612 Cashel St, Linwood, and reports the search widened to all houses within 200 metres of the address yesterday. A specialist search and rescue team has also been combing the area around the property, which investigation head Detective Senior Sergeant Tony Hill says is part of the ongoing enquiry to determine what happened at the house on 22 August, when Hayden was known to have visited it. "This is a further step in building a picture of events on that day and the days after," he says. "We will be looking for evidence, such as clothing or other items that may have been discarded, and aiming to narrow down the possibilities of what has happened to Hayden. "There are a number of unoccupied addresses in the vicinity and these will be a focus for the search phase." Detective Senior Sergeant Hill says the investigation team is also continuing to speak to various people who have come forward during the enquiry. "We are making good progress in establishing the events surrounding Hayden's disappearance." Last month police released a statement from Hayden's mother and aunt, who created a picture of a quiet and shy teen, who was just 15 when he disappeared. "Hayden's passion was music and before he disappeared he was looking forward to attending a music course. He spent a lot of time on Facebook but there has been no activity by Hayden on his site since the time of his disappearance. He is not streetwise and could not easily live independently." The pair said his lack of contact with his family was totally out of character, and very concerning. "We are aware that most missing people are found within 48 hours and as time goes on our fears for his wellbeing have grown. Since his disappearance Hayden has turned 16, which was a particularly difficult time for us all, but especially for his parents and sisters - not knowing is torturous. We believe that someone will know what has happened to Hayden and we are asking them to come forward and help the police with their investigation." Have you seen Hayden Miles? He may be in a city other than Christchurch. Can you help the police investigation? If so please contact Christchurch Police on (03) 3637400. Alternatively, to give information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 9th December 2011 - 6:19pm