Earlier today police confirmed the worst fears of Hepworth\u2019s family. <\/p>\n
Braydon Hepworth of Christchurch has been missing since September. Photo \/ NZ Police<\/p>\n
Detective Inspector Scott Anderson said a number of search warrants had been executed at properties in Linwood and Edgeware this morning. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur inquiries to date suggest Braydon is no longer alive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know there are people in the community that know what has happened to Braydon and request that they come forward with information.<\/p>\n
\u201cBraydon is a father and a son and police are determined to get answers for Braydon\u2019s family. We are continuing to appeal to anyone who may have information in relation to Braydon\u2019s disappearance. <\/p>\n
\u201cAny information, no matter how small, could be a piece of the puzzle we need to locate Mr Hepworth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police are today searching a house on Hereford St, Christchurch in relation to Braydon Hepworth’s disappearance. Photo \/ Jazlyn Whales<\/p>\n
Anderson said that \u201cat this time\u201d police were \u201cunable to share details on the findings of the search warrants\u201d.<\/p>\n
A large police presence is at a Hereford St house this morning, just 100m from where the last search was conducted at a property on the corner of Hereford and England Sts.<\/p>\n
Police have cordoned off the property \u2013 a one-bedroom flat connected to a larger house. <\/p>\n
A forensic tent was set up and mobile police units have been parked on the street. <\/p>\n
The property police are searching is made up of two dwellings. The main three-bedroom house is not thought to be connected to the investigation. <\/p>\n
Police are focused on the flat connected to the side of the villa, which has its own driveway. <\/p>\n
Photos of the flat police are searching, looking out to Hereford St. Police have set up a tent at the top of the driveway and forensic experts have arrived at the scene. This photo was taken when the flat was listed as up for rent in 2018. <\/p>\n
About midday, a large amount of police forensic equipment, including special lights, was carried into the cordon. <\/p>\n
More scene examination experts arrived about the same time. <\/p>\n
Hepworth\u2019s mother Char Huntley posted on Facebook this morning after the police announcement. <\/p>\n
\u201cPlease help me get him home,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cPlease speak up. Someone knows something. Remain anonymous if you need \u2013 but let me get my son back.<\/p>\n
\u201cSearches are underway to give us anything to locate him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur family is broken with not knowing what happened to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Hereford St, Christchurch hous being looked at closely today by police. Photo \/ Jazlyn Whales<\/p>\n
The last confirmed sighting<\/a> of Hepworth was at a Linwood service station on September 3.<\/p>\n Security footage showed him wearing a Monster Energy-branded beanie with a pair of headphones over the top. <\/p>\n The search for Braydon <\/p>\n Police first appealed for help to find Hepworth on September 23 after he was reported missing. <\/p>\n On Friday, they issued a fresh appeal for information and confirmed they were searching a property in Linwood in connection with his disappearance. <\/p>\n The house is located on the corner of Hereford and England Sts and police said it was believed to be Hepworth\u2019s last known address.<\/p>\n It is understood the house operates as a backpackers of sorts and has several residents of varying lengths of stay. <\/p>\n During the search, police cordoned off the corner property, which has caravans at the back.<\/p>\n Officers stood guard outside while investigators worked. <\/p>\n \u201cStaff have made extensive inquiries to date, and Braydon has not been located. We are very concerned for Braydon,\u201d police said in a statement. <\/p>\n \u201cPolice continue to appeal for anybody with information regarding Braydon\u2019s whereabouts to please get in contact with us.<\/p>\n \u201cPolice and Braydon\u2019s family have serious concerns for his wellbeing, as this is extremely out of character for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this week police refused to comment on the status of the investigation, including who Hepworth last spoke to or contacted, when he last accessed his bank accounts or used his phone, if he has accessed medication he uses daily, whether they believe the young father has been a victim of foul play, and if so, whether any persons of interest had been identified. <\/p>\n On Tuesday Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons issued a statement. <\/p>\n \u201cA scene examination at the address believed to be Braydon\u2019s last known address has now been completed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe operation to understand the circumstances surrounding his disappearance remains ongoing.<\/p>\n \u201cPolice continue to appeal for anybody with information regarding Braydon\u2019s whereabouts to please get in contact with us.\u201d<\/p>\n Huntley has been appealing for information on Facebook since September 22. <\/p>\n \u201cPlease help me keep looking for my boy \u2026 Braydon Hepworth. He\u2019s 21 and Type 1 diabetic. He needs insulin daily to stay alive,\u201d she wrote four days later. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is devastating, not knowing where he is, if he is safe, if he needs help but can\u2019t get it, if he is still in Christchurch or has gone further willingly or not.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has a 9-month-old daughter and two siblings as well. He\u2019s loved and very missed by many, and we are all concerned for his health and wellbeing. He is not in any trouble; we just need him home.\u201d<\/p>\n Huntley revealed that as of August 4, Hepworth had \u201ca month\u2019s worth\u201d of insulin. <\/p>\n \u201cSo we are desperately needing to find him to help him,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n She had called hospitals \u201call over the South Island\u201d as well as bus, shuttle and ferry companies in case Hepworth was sick, injured or had travelled away from Christchurch. <\/p>\n \u201cHave been in the city where he would frequent and been showing his photo in multiple shops. No luck,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cMessaged friends and our extended family that know him or he may go to. No luck.<\/p>\n \u201cHis phone is off and all social media are non-active and everything is only delivered but not received his end. This is unnaturally out of character for him to not be heard from for this long. I am very scared for his safety, and the not knowing is the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n Huntley said she was in a situation \u201cno parent should ever go through\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t stop looking until I find him safe \u2026 I am heartbroken not knowing where he is,\u201d she updated later in September. <\/p>\n \u201cHis health and safety is a serious concern. Someone must know something that will lead to his location. Please help me find him. I love him, and I need him home.\u201d<\/p>\n In her most recent update last week, 27 days after the last confirmed sighting of Hepworth, she begged anyone with information to \u201cplease speak up\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cRemain anonymous if you need, but let me get my son back safe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur family is broken with the uncertainty of his whereabouts and well-being. We have searched many places, made multiple calls and have no solid leads yet. I\u2019m needing any information leading to his discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n The grandfather of Hepworth\u2019s daughter also posted online urging people to come forward with any information that could help the family. <\/p>\n \u201cAlthough Braydon is not my biological son, he was in a relationship with our daughter and they have a beautiful 9-month-old daughter together. From the very first day we met Braydon, he called us Mum and Dad, and we called him our son. Over time, we built a very strong bond with him, and he has become an important part of our family,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n \u201cI received a message from Braydon on 2 September telling me that he was planning to get his car licence and was also sorting out other appointments. He had been doing so well, which is why everything that has happened over the past few weeks is so concerning and completely out of character for him.<\/p>\n \u201cThe search will continue, and we are asking everyone to please keep sharing the missing-person posts and keep an eye out for Braydon.\u201d<\/p>\n He thanked everyone who had supported Hepworth\u2019s family during \u201can extremely difficult and stressful time\u201d and helped to search for him and spread the word about his disappearance. <\/p>\n \u201cIt truly means more to us than we can put into words,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cThank you from the bottom of our hearts for continuing to support Braydon, our family and especially his little daughter during this incredibly difficult time.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are desperately hoping and praying that we receive good news soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the weekend, he posted a message directly to Hepworth, revealing he had spent \u201ccountless hours driving and walking around looking for him\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just lost for words, Braydon \u2013 please let us know where you are. You\u2019re not in trouble; we all just want you back home,\u201d he wrote. <\/p>\n It is unclear if Hepworth was working at the time he went missing. <\/p>\n In June 2025, he posted on Facebook looking for fulltime work \u201curgently\u201d.<\/p>\n Anna Leask is a senior journalist who covers Christchurch issues and national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence and homicides. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Anderson said finding Hepworth \u201cinvolved a number of dedicated police staff and it has been a significant operation\u201d.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":623876,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1558,7800,301658,4487,2223,2209,2082,1874,305,42,229621,78,296,12898,6501,43,675,1870,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-623875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-been","tag-body","tag-braydon","tag-christchurch","tag-confirmed","tag-father","tag-for","tag-found","tag-have","tag-headlines","tag-hepworth","tag-in","tag-into","tag-investigation","tag-missing","tag-news","tag-police","tag-search","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/623876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Linwood house that was searched by police. <\/p>\n
Braydon Hepworth was last seen in Christchurch on September 3.<\/p>\n
Police this morning said a scene examination at Braydon Hepworth’s last known address has now been completed.<\/p>\n
Braydon Hepworth missing from Christchurch. Photo \/ NZ Police<\/p>\n