A Paeroa pizza shop owner found dead in a pool of blood was killed, police say.
A post-mortem examination on 55-year-old Jordan Voudouris, owner of Mykono's Pizza and Pasta, ruled his death was suspicious.
His body was found next door to the pizza shop about 6.30am yesterday.
Detective Senior Glenn Tinsley of the Waihi CIB said a team of 20 officers were working on the case.
"We are also working with our Bay of Plenty colleagues to determine what, if any links there may have been with an attempted robbery of a service station in Waihi and the aggravated robbery of a dairy in Katikati yesterday morning,'' he said.
Police will not say how Voudouris was killed or what injuries he suffered.
A beloved figure in Paeroa, Voudouris is survived by three children and had previously been a resident of North Auckland.
Family Support staff are working with the family, Tinsley said.
"As their work heads into the next phase, investigators have been buoyed by the support shown by the Paeroa and wider community as we go about working on this case,'' Tinsley said.
"We thank the local community for their support and ask that this continues.''
TOWN'S GUARDIAN
Vicki Brimblecombe, who owns The Depot, another store down from the pizza shop, said she understood the store owner between her and Voudouris found the pizza shop open and the oven still on.
"She went looking for him and found him outside the back gate."
Brimblecombe described Voudouris as "a feisty person so he probably chased whoever it was".
She said he was a thin man, about her height (under 1.83m) - a good guy.
She said he'd take one day off per week to visit his children in Auckland and they'd regularly stay with him during holidays. He gave her a feeling of safety. She thought of him as a "guardian of the shop fronts".
Whitehead said investigators were looking into evidence of trauma injuries but would not elaborate further on injuries or whether weapons were involved.
Police were also looking at a possible link to two incidents in Waihi overnight on Sunday where burglars jemmied open the Professionals Real Estate office back door.
Professionals branch manager Peter Sherman said someone tried to break into his business and that of neighbouring Betta Electrical.
Sherman arrived at work yesterday morning to find the back door open and a small safe gone. It was later recovered by police in a nearby creek.
Sherman also knew Voudouris.
"He was a hell of a nice guy," he said.
He recalled stopping for pizza on the way back from Auckland one stormy night. When he got back to his car, pizza in hand, it wouldn't start.
In a flash, the Greek pizza chef raced inside, grabbed some jumper cables and sent Sherman on his way.
Hauraki District Mayor John Tregidga said that Paeroa took out the 2012 Community of the Year title thanks to people like Voudouris.
"He was not only supportive of his fellow business people, he was supportive of the entire community and they are all hurting," he said.
Voudouris' niece, Alexcia Voudouris, thanked those leaving tributes for their support. "Thank you all for your kind words. My uncle's family and my family appreciate it.
"Hopefully we can find out what happened, so he can truly rest in peace," she wrote.
Anyone with information regarding the investigation can contact Paeroa police on (07) 862 8744, or leave information anonymously on Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.
