Police initially said the circumstances around Ronny Okeke's disappearance were "suspicious" when they found his body. Photo: Supplied / Police
No one has been charged in relation to the death of an Auckland man who was found dead with a stab wound in the Kaimai Ranges over a year ago.
Ronny Okeke was missing for 52 days after last being seen at the Mt Roskill New World Supermarket on April 27, 2024.
Originally from Nigeria, the 60-year-old was the only member of his family to live in New Zealand.
He had attempted to call his wife on the day he was last seen but the call went unanswered.
His body was found in mid-June in the Kaimai Ranges, about 180km away from his Sandringham home.
Despite police saying the circumstances of Okeke's disappearance were being investigated as suspicious after his body was found and him having a stab wound, his death has now been referred to the Coroner.
Detective inspector Glenn Baldwin, from Auckland CIB, said initially the matter was investigated as a missing person, but once Okeke's body was found in the Kaimai Ranges it was elevated to being treated as "suspicious".
A post-mortem exam of Okeke's body revealed he had suffered a non-fatal stab wound prior to his death, Baldwin said. It also indicated Okeke had been fatally injured after falling from a height.
"There were also pre-existing health conditions that may have contributed," Baldwin said. "Following a careful and considered of the review of the evidence, no charges were laid in relation to Ronny's death."
Police had since referred his death to the Coroner, Baldwin said, who would in time, issue findings into the circumstances of how Okeke died.
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