(file image) Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
A third man has been charged over the homicide of South Canterbury man Anaru Moana, who has not been seen since 2021.
Moana was reported missing on 23 December, 2021.
In 2022, two men were charged with Moana's murder, and they are expected to go on trial later this year.
A 25-year-old man was arrested in Waimate on Thursday and charged with Moana's murder.
Detective Senior Sergeant Nik Leigh said while police have not found Moana, it was pleasing to have put people before the courts in relation to his death.
"Our investigation is ongoing, and we know there are people in our community that know what happened to Anaru," Leigh said. "We are asking those people - please, it's time to come forward. Help us provide his whānau with some closure."
The investigation and search for Moana has involved detailed searches of waterways in the Waitaki and Waimate areas, with the assistance of the police National Dive Squad.
In addition to murder charges, the two previously accused men were also charged with the serious assault and kidnapping of an Oamaru man last October.
One of the men was also accused of possessing methamphetamine for supply.
The pair entered not guilty pleas to all charges when they appeared in the Timaru High Court in December 2022.
