Court appearance in Counties Manukau District, 3:50pm 23 Jan

A 16 year-old girl and an 18 year-old man appeared in the Pukekohe Youth Court this afternoon where they were jointly charged with the arson of the Wellington St home where a woman in her 40s was found dead by Fire Service Officers shortly after 1am today.

Both teenagers were remanded in custody to reappear in the Pukekohe Youth Court on January 23.

Police hope to be able to release the name of the deceased woman after a post-mortem examination of her body is carried out tomorrow.