A 60-year-old Christchurch man has been charged with manslaughter following the death of 21-year-old father Braydon Hepworth, whose body was found buried beneath a shed at a central Christchurch property.

Detective Inspector Scott Anderson, of Christchurch Metro Crime, confirmed the charge tonight.

The accused was arrested on 10 October and initially charged with concealing Hepworth’s body and making a false statement.

He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday 29 October. He has interim name suppression.

Hepworth 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, police 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 the following day, with further testing required to help establish the circumstances of his death.

The discovery brought a devastating end to weeks of uncertainty for Hepworth’s family, who had publicly appealed for information about his whereabouts.

At the time, Anderson described the outcome as heartbreaking.

“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, there is a small comfort in being able to bring him home.”

A second Christchurch man, aged 34, was charged last week with offences relating to the concealment of Hepworth’s body.

Police said their investigation remains ongoing but further details cannot be released because the matter is now before the courts.