A shop owner who works near an Auckland brothel where a man was found dead this morning says the area is normally very quiet.
A police car outside the brothel where a man's body was found just after midnight. Photo: RNZ / Katie Scotcher
Police opened a homicide investigation after the man's body was found at the Epsom address on Manukau Road by a member of the public just after midnight.
Janine Rause, who has managed a clothing store opposite the brothel for more than two years, said she had never had any problems with the establishment.
"It's almost like a shop ... a house that just exists but you wouldn't know what went on out there. So a bit of a shock."
Rause said people in the community were alarmed by what's happened.
Police acting Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said a scene examination was underway and a post-mortem would be carried out.
Police are still trying to confirm the man's identity and locate his next of kin.