A second Christchurch man has been charged in connection with the disappearance and death of 21-year-old Braydon Hepworth, whose body was discovered buried beneath a shed at a central Christchurch property.

A police spokesperson said a 34-year-old man had been charged with offences relating to the concealment of Hepworth’s body.

He is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court on Friday.

The latest development follows the arrest of a 60-year-old Christchurch man on 10 October, who was charged with offences relating to the concealment of Hepworth’s body and making a false statement.

The older man was granted interim name suppression and is scheduled to reappear in court on 29 October.

Hepworth, a young father, was last confirmed alive on 3 September at the Z Energy service station in Linwood.

His disappearance prompted an extensive police investigation, including searches of properties in Linwood and Edgeware.

On 8 October, officers executing a search warrant at a residential property on Hereford Street discovered his body buried at the rear of the property, beneath a shed.

A postmortem examination was completed on 9 October, although further testing was required to help determine what happened.

Despite the two arrests, police are continuing to investigate how Hepworth died.

The police spokesperson said no further comment could be made because the matter was now before the courts.

Neither of the charges announced against the two men is a homicide charge.