To be attributed to Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Thompson, Area Investigations Manager:
Officers investigating the murder of Karen Gilbert-Palmer in Pahiatua in October 2025 have completed their enquiries into her death.
Karen, aged 74, was found deceased in her Arthur Street home on 15 October.
Karen's son, Jeremy Robertson, was quickly identified as a person of interest in relation to her death.
Police can now confirm that Jeremy is considered the only person of interest in this matter, and that nobody else is being sought.
Jeremy left the Pahiatua area shortly after Karen's death, travelling by car to the Green and Blue Lakes area in Rotorua.
His car was found abandoned in that area and despite an extensive search of the area, Jeremy was not located.
Since Jeremy arrived in the Green and Blue Lakes area, there has been no activity on his bank accounts or mobile phone, and there has been no evidence found to suggest he was living rough in the area.
Given these facts, alongside the passage of time, Police can now advise we believe the most likely scenario is that he died shortly after arriving in the Green and Blue Lakes area.
Police remain committed to locating Jeremy if at all possible, in order to provide the closure that Karen's family and loved ones deserve.
The investigation team is grateful for the support and assistance that local Rotorua staff have provided throughout the investigation.
With their continued support, further searching is planned in a smaller, more concentrated section of the Green and Blue Lakes area, utilising specialist search teams and equipment.
We also want to thank members of the public who came forward with information and possible sightings of Jeremy during our investigation. It is important to note that while the investigation team do believe it is strongly likely Jeremy died shortly after arriving in the Green and Blue Lakes area, we do still want to hear from anyone who believes they may have seen him at any time since 15 October 2025, or anyone with information which could be relevant to the investigation.
