User:SupremeLordBagel/sandboxes/sandbox 2

Investigation

Shortly after arriving at the house, police detective constable Christian Iogha performed a "tension check" on the orange nylon rope tied to the handrail at top of the stairs that Hanna had allegedly hung herself with, to confirm that it could handle her weight. He gently tugged the rope, and it quickly began unravelling. Detective Ilona Walton, who witnessed the check, later testified that "it seemed unusual and not normal that the rope would unravel in that manner", and she informed her sergeant. Polkinghorne, who was giving a statement to the police in the house, was asked to continue outside so that the scene would not be contaminated. Iogha examined the rope again and became suspicious after noticing that it had not been pulled to the base of the handrail by Hanna's weight.

Soon after the test was conducted, police decided to treat the case as suspicious. Polkinghorne was taken to be questioned at the Auckland Central Police Station, where Walton conducted a three-hour interview with him. During the interview, he recounted finding Hanna's body and repeatedly spoke off-topic. The New Zealand Police remained at the home for over a week, performing forensic searches. Hanna's bedroom was found dishevelled, with what appeared to be a blood stain on the bed, though no evidence was found that she had died in that room and her body had been moved to the spot it was initially found.