Police locate item of interest in St Johns homicide investigation: 'This is not going away'

The Team from New Zealand Police

Police have made developments in the ongoing homicide investigation into the death of Kyle Whorrall over five months ago.

Kyle, a 33-year-old US national, was senselessly murdered at a bus stop on St Johns Road on 19 April 2025.

The Police investigation into Kyle’s death has been ongoing and investigators have renewed their focus in the case. Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin says new information led detectives to Maybury Reserve in Glen Innes on Monday morning. Police continue to search for several items of interest in the investigation, which remain outstanding.

“A search was conducted through a section of the reserve by the Police Specialist Search Group as well as a dog handler,” he says. “As a result of that, Police have located a machete concealed in part of the reserve and this item has been seized for further forensic examination.” The Operation Aberfeldy investigation team have continued to search for the weapon used to inflict the fatal injury on Kyle that Saturday night.

“No one deserves the ordeal that Kyle went through in the last moments of his life, after sustaining horrific injuries at the bus stop,” Detective Inspector Baldwin says. “We have been searching for a bladed weapon, so at this stage it’s unclear whether this machete is linked to our enquiry, and we will await results from PHF Science.”

Two people remain before the Court at this point in the investigation.

Police continue to appeal to those with information to come forward. Detective Inspector Baldwin says there are people in the community that know who else was in the offending vehicle the night of Kyle’s death. “I want to be very clear that there is an opportunity here for anyone with information to do the right thing, come forward and speak to us. This is not going away. We have a team of investigators who are not going away. Police have not come to search Maybury Reserve by mistake, and we will continue to seek answers for Kyle’s family.”

Police encourage anyone with information to contact Police online or call 105 using the reference number 250419/9858, or Operation Aberfeldy.
Information can also be reported anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.