Did you see Danny?
Northland Police investigating the death of a Horeke man are seeking information from the public in the case.
Today, Police are also formally releasing the victim’s name.
Daniel Hepehi, also known as Danny Whiston, was found with critical injuries at a property in Waikerikeri Road in the early hours of May 22.
The 77-year-old sadly died at the scene.
Police are now appealing for sightings of Mr Hepehi on Wednesday May 21.
“Police have confirmed that Mr Hepehi shopped for groceries in Kaikohe around 10.30am on that morning,” Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston, Northland CIB, says.
“We would like to hear from anyone who saw Mr Hepehi or interacted with him over this time to assist in the investigation.”
“We are aware he frequently rode long distances on his bike around Horeke, Ōkaihau and Kaikohe,” Detective Inspector Johnston says.
Sightings in the area of a green and gold 4-wheel drive SUV vehicle with the number plate LCP129 are also being sought.
Northland Police launched homicide enquiry ‘Operation Dime’ after Mr Hepehi’s death on May 22.
Detective Inspector Johnston says: “As we have advised, we are not seeking anyone in connection with the homicide, but we are doing everything we can to find out what happened. Additional Police from other areas have joined the investigation.”
Anyone with information is asked to make a report online, or by calling 105.
Please quote the reference number 250522/0155.
Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
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