Police will hold a press conference this afternoon after claims a man in a car watched homicide victim Elizabeth Zhong for months and suggestions her body lay in a car boot for hours before police discovered it.
Questions remain over how business in recent years went so badly for Ying Zhong, known as Elizabeth, who is believed to have been murdered last week.
Zhong, 55, was found dead in Sunnyhills last Saturday. Police have formally identified the victim as Zhong, Acting Detective Inspector Shaun Vickers told media.
The scene examination is continuing and will continue for some time, Vickers said.
The police's investigation is focusing on the evening of Friday, Nov 27 to Nov 28. The last confirmed sighting is her alive at home at 4.30pm on Friday afternoon.
"We have a team of detectives working on the investigation and we're making progress every day," Vickers said.
The East Auckland grandmother took over post-production house Digipost and an associated $7 million property in 2017.
On Friday, a person familiar with the Digipost deal rejected claims there was a lack of due diligence when Zhong bought the company.
Instead, the person described detailed, drawn-out negotiations and said Zhong was sincere and ambitious about making movies.
But a source said Zhong's inability to make projects succeed in recent years was problematic and ultimately put the company in jeopardy.
Other enterprises Zhong was previously involved with included Kennedy Point Vineyard on Waiheke Island and Carrick Wines in Central Otago.
One vineyard staffer said Zhong had had nothing to do with the Waiheke organic winemaker since liquidators took over last December.
Zhong's Sunbow Group described itself online as previously running the vineyards and the Digipost film production company.
But all three businesses were recently sold or placed into receivership or liquidation.
Some people familiar with Zhong described her as kind-hearted, dynamic and likeable.
"She was a warm and generous person," Digipost founder and former owner Garry Little said on Friday.
"She'd always remember people's birthdays."
In February 2019 Zhong announced "reluctant' plans to sell her Carrick vineyard and winery, describing it as her "dream vineyard".
On October 30 this year, Andrew McKay and Andrew Bethell of BDO were appointed as Sunbow's receivers.
Bethell earlier this week said he was "very saddened" to hear of Zhong's death and his thoughts went out to those who knew her and to her family.
He declined to discuss the company's level of debt.
Police have previously said anyone with information should phone 105, quoting file number 201128/1909.
