Body found at Christchurch property believed to be missing man Braydon Hepworth

Police have found a body believed to be missing Christchurch man Braydon Hepworth.Several search warrants were carried out in Christchurch on Thursday in relation to the disappearance of the 21-year-old. The last confirmed sighting of him was on September 3.Police announced Thursday they had found the body of a person during a search of a Hereford St property."Formal identification procedures are underway, however, we believe this to be missing 21-year-old Braydon Hepworth," Detective Inspector Scott Anderson said.The death is being treated as unexplained, and a post-mortem will be carried out on Friday."This is a devastating outcome for his family, and our hearts go out to them. We are providing them with support at this extremely difficult time."Anderson said finding Hepworth "has involved a number of dedicated police staff and it has been a significant operation"."While this is not the outcome we hoped for, there is a small comfort in being able to bring him home."A scene guard remained at the property and police would be in attendance at the address for a number of days."The investigation team is concentrating efforts on confirming Braydon's movements and we are speaking with a number of people who are assisting our enquiries."It is early in the investigation, and it will take time to build a clear picture of what has occurred."Supplied / PoliceEarlier on Thursday, Anderson said police had searched properties in Linwood and Edgeware in relation to Hepworth's disappearance."Our inquiries to date suggest Braydon is no longer alive."As part of the investigation police previously conducted a scene examination at an England St property - his last known address.Anderson said the last confirmed sighting of Hepworth was at Linwood Z Energy on September 3."We know there are people in the community that know what has happened to Braydon and request that they come forward with information."Braydon is a father and a son and police are determined to get answers for Braydon's family."Police continued to appeal to anyone who may have information in relation to Hepworth's disappearance."Any information, no matter how small, could be a piece of the puzzle we need to locate Mr Hepworth."Police were unable to share details on the findings of the search warrants.