Body found in Lake Rotokākahi linked to Pahiatua homicide probe

Police have found a body in Lake Rotokākahi near Rotorua while investigating a homicide in Pahiatua from October 2025. The body is believed to be a person of interest in that case, though formal identification is pending. Detective Senior Sergeant David Thompson said there is no threat to the public, but police presence in the area will increase during the ongoing investigation. The discovery follows a July search for Jeremy Robertson, the only person of interest in his mother Karen Gilbert-Palmer's death, which ended without finding him. Robertson left Pahiatua after Gilbert-Palmer's death, and his car was found abandoned in Rotorua's Green and Blue Lakes area. Police had previously believed he was likely dead due to no activity on his bank accounts or phone.