“While formal identification is ongoing, it is believed the body may be that of a person of interest related to the homicide investigation,” Thompson said.
Police said there was no threat to public safety, although residents could expect to see an increased police presence around the lake as inquiries continued.
Police have been looking for Jeremy Robertson in relation to the death of a woman in Pahīatua on October 17, 2025.
A search had been underway for Jeremy Robertson as the sole person of interest in the investigation into the death of his mother, Karen Gilbert-Palmer, in Pahīatua last October.
Robertson, in his 50s, was believed to have taken a car from his mother’s property and driven about 350km to Rotorua, where the vehicle was found abandoned at the Blue and Green Lakes lookout at Lake Rotokākahi on Tarawera Rd.
A previous police statement said police search and rescue staff and volunteers searched near the carpark at the Blue and Green Lakes lookout in July.