Search Intensifies: Christchurch Red Zone Becomes "Area of Interest" in Rowena Walker Disappearance

Land, water, and aerial searches are underway in Christchurch’s residential Red Zone as police express grave concerns for Rowena Walker, missing since August 2025.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 20, 2026, 5:07 AM EDT

Source: RNZ Pacific

The Investigation So Far

Rowena Walker was officially reported missing by her mother on October 22, 2025. Despite extensive searches across the Waikato, Tasman, and Canterbury districts, she remains missing.

Last Confirmed Sighting: August 14, 2025, on CCTV on Bassett Street, Burwood, in the company of an associate.

The Christchurch Connection: Police believe Walker never left Christchurch. The day before her disappearance, she informed family members she was living with a friend and intended to settle in the city.

Specialist Search in the Red Zone

Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan confirmed on Monday that inquiries have led police to believe Walker was near the residential Red Zone—a vast area of land abandoned following the 2011 earthquakes—around the time she vanished.