Helicopters to be used to search for Christchurch mother in homicide investigation

The helicopters would predominantly be utilized in a search of Lake Ellesmere, Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves mentioned.

On Tuesday, police searched farmland close to the lake, with officers seen strolling by means of lengthy grass and checking undergrowth.

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Yanfei Bao, 44, disappeared a week ago, and police believe she is no longer alive. — Yanfei Bao, 44, disappeared per week in the past, and police consider she is not alive. (Supplied)

Police investigating the disappearance of Christchurch lady Yanfei Bao are looking the Halswell River. (Stuff)

Then on Wednesday – the day police mentioned Bao’s disappearance was being handled as a murder inquiry – the Police National Dive Squad was concerned in a search of the Halswell River, which runs into the lake south of Christchurch.

On Thursday, the search of the river was in a rural space, a number of kilometres north of the lake.

Dive squad members, helped by Surf Lifesaving personnel, have been looking the riverbanks from inflatable rescue boats, Reeves mentioned.

The dive squad was utilizing sonar know-how to go looking beneath the floor of the water to determine something which may be of curiosity.

Bao, 44, an actual property agent, was final seen about 10am on July 19 on Trevor St, within the western suburb of Hornby.

A 52-year-old man arrested at Christchurch Airport on Saturday with no baggage and a one-way ticket to Shanghai, China, has been charged with kidnapping, and police have mentioned additional costs are possible.

The Trevor St property at the centre of the homicide investigation into Yanfei Bao's disappearance. — The Trevor St property on the centre of the murder investigation into Yanfei Bao’s disappearance. (Peter Meecham / Stuff)

On Sunday, police seized a property in Trevor St beneath search warrant, and have been forensically analyzing it.

Bao had been on account of present the home to a potential purchaser on the day she disappeared.

On Thursday, Reeves mentioned giant numbers of police had been working throughout Christchurch within the seek for Bao.

On Friday, the search was anticipated to contain Police Search and Rescue, LandSAR volunteers, Coastguard, Surf Lifesaving, Police Specialist Search Group, Police Dog Team, Garden City Helicopters and AREC (Amateur Radio Emergency Communications).

Reeves repeated a request for details about Bao’s silver Nissan Dualis automotive on the afternoon or into the evening of the day she went lacking.

The automotive, registration PKT556, left Trevor St about 12.30pm.

It was present in Iroquois Place, Wigram, about 10.45pm that day, after Bao failed to select up her daughter from after college care and was reported lacking.