After calling 111 in October, 2004, 25-year-old model and trainee teacher Iraena Asher (left) was sent a taxi - to the wrong address, instead of a patrol or response car. She has never been seen since. Betty and Mike Asher (right) carried out private searches for their daughter. Photo / NZME File / Martin Sykes
A body has been discovered in the search for missing West Aucklander, Michael Asher.
Police confirmed a man’s body was found at around 7 p.m last night in a bush area in Glen Eden.
“Police believe it to be 73-year-old man Michael Piki Kotuku Asher.” they said in a statement.
Asher was reported missing on Friday, December 30, and was last seen on Christmas Day at his home on Glengarry Rd.
Police had initially only referred to him as Michael, today's statement revealing he is the father of model Iraena Asher - who went missing without a trace at Piha 19 years ago.
The young woman, also a trainee teacher, vanished after making a distressed 111 call to Police, who sent a taxi - to the wrong address, instead of a patrol or response car.
A coroner later ruled the wahine Māori likely drowned, and that her death was accidental, but her body was never found.
Asher's mother, Betty Anne, died in Auckland City Hospital in 2019, less than three weeks after doctors diagnosed a tumour.
One of the family's daughters told NZME at the time, the family's grief over Iraena's disappearance never went away.
“You learn to live with it, rather than get over it. It’s always there...it’s like living with a gaping hole in your life and in your heart.”
Michael Asher was described as a "absolute rock" for the whānau.
The circumstances of Michael's death remain unknown, the case has been referred to the Coroner.
“Michael was a much-loved family member and our thoughts are with his whānau,” the police statement said.
