Monica Reid will be farewelled on Friday at Trusts Arena in Henderson. Photo: Supplied/NZ Police
WARNING: This article contains upsetting content. Mental health helplines can be found at the bottom of the page.
The brother of deceased Te Atatū woman Monica Reid says his baby sister was cherished and a "ray of sunshine."
The 26-year-old woman was found dead on Sunday following an extensive search after she disappeared on Friday.
Her death has been referred to the Coroner.
Francis Reid, 43, said Monica (Mon), the youngest of eight siblings, was a sensitive soul with a beautiful smile and always put others before herself.
"Mental illness is a disease, but I don't want to speculate about her state of mind. We knew she was unhappy but we don't know how deeply it was. You don't expect something like this to happen to any family. No parent wants to bury their child and for that to be your baby," Reid said.
Reid, who was close to Monica, said they always told each other they loved each other. She was also a great aunt to his four children.
"She never let the mask slip. You Google her and see how beautiful and smart she is but she has this tragic end. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. What you want is families with mental health challenges to access the support they need. This isn't a weakness; it is not caused by a lack of love. Monica knew she was loved."
Monica worked at New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and was studying urban planning. She was last seen on Matipo Road, Te Atatū in West Auckland on Friday afternoon. Police had issued an appeal and a major search and rescue operation was launched. Her body was found on Sunday.
Monica came from a musical background and loved singing. She was this year's Auckland Rose and was in the running to represent New Zealand in the Rose of Tralee International Festival.
She previously studied drama and Italian at Victoria University. It was through a mutual love of acting and drama she met her fiance Shivneel Singh. The couple moved to Auckland, got engaged in January, and were looking to buy a house.
"We love Shiv to bits; they were very close, and we were delighted for Mon she was getting married. He is a great guy; his family are wonderful people too. The sadness is we have got to know them far better in the last three days," her brother said.
"She had a great belly laugh, and deeply cared about you, and that was unique to her. She was passionate about people, animals and the environment. She really wanted to make the world a better place, that was Monica."
Reid said the moment they found out his sister was missing the family rallied together on Saturday and searched for her throughout the day and night.
Cecilia, Monica's sister, flew over from Australia and two brothers came from Wellington and Hamilton. Reid said being together as a family has been a comfort for his parents, Nicholas and Gabrielle.
"The strength of goodwill and effort from the Te Atatū locals was incredible, the messages of support were flooding in. I wish we could have converted those messages into finding Mon alive and well."
He also wanted to thank the New Zealand Police, the police maritime unit, and Land Search and Rescue.
"The efficiency, the thoroughness of their search and their communication through that process and what to expect was sensitive and unbelievably amazing," he said.
Monica's service will be held at 11.30am on Friday at the Trusts Arena in Henderson. Everyone is welcome to attend, Reid said.
"If you have a loved family member going through mental health issues there are support avenues available. This is a disease and needs to be treated as such. I want to remember Mon as a bubbly, gentle soul who has a deep sense of empathy for people, animals and the world. I miss everything about her and I wish we could all have done more for her."
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- This story was originally published by the New Zealand Herald.