30 Jul 2012

'Slow job' as police dig near Jane Furlong's old flat

8:06 am on 30 July 2012

Police investigating the death of the Auckland teenager Jane Furlong say it will be some time before any information can be released on excavations close to where she used to live.

Ms Furlong went missing in 1993 from Auckland's red light district on Karangahape Road.

Her skeleton was found in Port Waikato in May and a homicide investigation is under way.

A team is digging up an area near Ms Furlong's old flat on Heretaunga Avenue in Onehunga and expect to finish on Monday. Police have said they are acting on information that has recently come to them.

Detective Inspector Mark Benefield, who is leading the investigation, told Morning Report it has been a difficult operation for the specialist search teams working on Heretaunga Avenue.

"It's quite a slow job ... you've got to excavate it like you are at an archaeological site."

Detective Inspector Benefield says it will be some time before they can release any information about what has been found.