A man has been charged with murder after a body was found in Dunedin on Friday.

Detective Inspector Shona Low, Crime Manager Southern District, said police received reports of a sudden death at a property on Great King St about 2pm and found a 36-year-old man deceased at the scene.

A man has now been charged and will appear at Dunedin District Court this morning, charged with murder.

A neighbour told the Herald they were at home Friday afternoon when they heard what they believed was a man’s scream.

They said they thought the area where the investigation is taking place was an empty lot.

“It’s always just looked like a dump.”

Debris and building materials could be seen strewn throughout the area beyond the police cordon.

A scene guard remained in place at the weekend as a forensic examination is carried out.

Police said initial indications suggested the man had died from “non-accidental injuries”.

“There will be an increased Police presence in North Dunedin as we work to establish how the man died, and when,” Low said earlier.

Formal identification procedures will be carried out in the coming days as well as a forensic postmortem.

A police guard remains in place outside the scene today. Photo / Ben Tomsett

If you have any information that can assist police in their investigation, contact them on 105 either over the phone or online and reference the file number 251003/5165.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.