Missing British backpacker presumed dead

Grace Millane, the British backpacker who went missing from a hotel in Auckland city centre last week, is presumed dead, police said on Saturday.

The man who was seen with Millane before her disappearance would be charged for murder, CNN reported.

The 22-year-old backpacker was last seen at around 7 pm (local time) on December 1. Although the police launched a manhunt to trace her, new evidence changed the investigation from a missing person case to a murder case.

Reacting to the development, Auckland Police Detective Scott Beard told reporters, "The evidence we have located so far -- our scene examination, CCTV footage and our investigation has determined that Grace is no longer alive and this is a murder investigation."

The 26-year-old man has been detained by the police and would be charged on Monday (December 10). Law enforcement personnel believe that he and Millane travelled to a number of locations on that day and are obtaining information over a vehicle possibly linked to the case.

The British backpacker has been in New Zealand for the last two weeks. Her family, who raised alarm after failing to establish contact with her, have urged people via social media to inform them about her whereabouts.