News Grace Millane cause of death won't be revealed after post mortem completed Police said the results of the post mortem will not be released as they appealed for witnesses who were in the area where the 22-year-old's body was found Share Natalie Evans US Editor (Digital) 04:53, 10 DEC 2018 Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now Get daily news updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email

A post-mortem has been carried out on 'murdered' British backpacker Grace Millane, police have confirmed.

However, the 22-year-old's cause of death will not be revealed as the results of the examination are not being released, officers in New Zealand said.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard, of the Auckland City Police, said: "The enquiry team working on the murder of English tourist Grace Millane have continued investigations throughout the day.

"The scene examination on Scenic Drive is ongoing and will continue tomorrow.

"The 0800 number has received a number of calls from people with information about the 2016 red Toyota Corolla hatchback.

"Police would like to hear from anyone who travelled along Scenic Drive on Monday 3 December, between 6am and 9.30am.

"The vehicle was rented for a 24-hour period and was returned to a central Auckland rental car company on Monday 3 December at lunchtime." Grace is thought to have been killed on December 1-2 Read More Grace Millane 'killer' pictured after appearing in court to face murder charge

DI Beard added: "The post-mortem examination has been carried out today. We will not be releasing the results of this examination."

Earlier today, Grace's suspected killer was pictured for the first time after he appeared in court to face a murder charge.

The 26-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was living at the same New Zealand hotel where she was last seen alive, court documents show. The body, believed to be Grace's, was found on Saturday (Image: Getty Images) The body was found on Scenic Drive in the Waitakere Ranges (Image: Getty Images)

The defendant was listed on a charge sheet as residing at the Citylife Hotel on Queen Street in central Auckland.

He appeared at Auckland District Court on Monday charged with murdering the backpacker, from Essex, between December 1 and 2.

The suspect was branded a "scumbag" from the public gallery during the hearing on Monday morning.

Grace, an advertising graduate and artist, was killed between December 1 and December 2, court documents show, but a body - said to be hers - wasn't discovered until Sunday.

It meant she may have "lay dead" for up to one week. Grace, who graduated from University of Lincoln, disappeared during a backpacking trip (Image: PA)

It was expected this would finally be the first time the man's identity would be allowed to be published in the worldwide press.

But though Judge Thomas refused an interim name suppression, the suspect decided to appeal the decision.

It means he'll keep his anonymity for at least 21 more days.

Addressing Grace's heartbroken family, present in court, he judge said: "I don't know what to say to you at this time, but your grief must be desperate.

"We all hope justice will be fair and swift and ultimately brings you some peace."

Grace, 22, arrived in New Zealand on December 1, as part of her round-the-world trip.

The last confirmed sighting of Grace was at 9.41pm on December 1, the day before her birthday, at the Citylife Hotel, when she was seen with a "male companion". CCTV captures the graduate's last confirmed whereabouts - as she leaves her hostel (Image: NZ POLICE) The suspect was living at the CityLife hotel, where Grace was last seen alive (Image: Getty Images)

Since arriving in New Zealand from Peru on November 20, she had been in near-daily contact with her family.

Police received a missing person report on Wednesday and began a major search and public campaign that saw dozens of calls made to a helpline.

A body was found by a roadside in the search for the University of Lincoln graduate on Saturday. Friends have shared tributes to the artist on social media (Image: Auckland City Police/PA)

Detectives identified a "location of interest" earlier this week in the hunt of a body.

Speaking after a body was found, Detective Inspector Scott Beard said: "The formal identification process will now take place, however based on the evidence we have gathered over the past few days we expect that this is Grace.

"Obviously this brings the search for Grace to an end. It is an unbearable time for the Millane family and our hearts go out to them."

Grace's dad, David Millane, flew to Auckland and made a public appeal for help finding his daughter, who he described as "lovely, outgoing, fun-loving (and) family-orientated".

Her brother, Declan Millane, paid tribute by sharing pictures on social media of him and his sister, adding the lyrics of You Are My Sunshine.

He wrote on Instagram: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." Declan Millane's Grace's brother, pictured with her, posted a heartwarming tribute online (Image: declan_millane/Instagram)

A stretch of the road was closed on Sunday while forensics officers scoured the area.

Two large blue and white tents had been erected and investigators wearing white overalls were seen nearby.

Scenic Drive snakes through dense rainforest in the Waitakere Ranges, which lie to the west of Auckland. Detective Inspector Scott Beard broke the tragic news (Image: Getty Images) Grace is feared to have lay dead for a week (Image: Getty Images)

The spot where police found the body is in the vicinity of the Waitakere Reservoir and dam, a beauty spot with hiking trails.

Mr Beard said investigators were analysing a hire car as part of the probe.

A red Toyota Corolla hatchback was hired from a central Auckland rental firm just before lunchtime on December 2, the day after Ms Millane was last seen alive.

It was later found in Taupo, a town around 170 miles from Auckland.

Police have appealed for sightings of the car in the west Auckland area between 6.30am and 9.30am on Monday. Read More