This article was first published by RNZ.
New information has been recovered that police say they hope could help them pinpoint the killer of Baby Ru, who died a year ago.
Police opened a homicide investigation after ‘Baby Ru’, officially named Nga Reo Te Huatahi Reremoana Ahipene-Wall, died at Hutt Hospital on 22 October 2023 after a massive blunt force trauma to his head, two days before he would have turned two years old.
Police have previously named three people of interest, Rosie Morunga, her partner Dylan Ross, and the child’s mother, Storm Wall, who were all living at the same Poole Street house with Ru.
Vital evidence had been removed from the house, muddying the investigation, police have said previously, including a hard drive containing CCTV footage from the house.
But now investigators have received new “critical” information about the case, police said in a statement on Friday.
It led them to carry out a “targeted search” at Moonshine Road, just off the busy Haywards Hill highway, in a semi-rural area, north of Wellington.
And items were found there that are “highly relevant to the homicide investigation”.
They are now undergoing forensic examination.
The area is about 20 minutes by car from the Taitā home where Ru lived before he died.
Police would not immediately say what the new information was, but Detective Inspector Pritchard said it did not come from the public.
“This was information that wasn’t available when Ru died.
“Part of that work included searching for items that have been deliberately concealed.”
Police believe a grey-green 1994 Nissan Sentra, with the number plate TE6972 was used to transport items from the crime scene.
Pritchard also hoped the latest development could jog people’s memory about any suspicious activity, especially on Moonshine Road.
“Our message to them is please contact us if you saw something out of place on 22 October last year.”
Police still want to hear from anyone with information about the case, by calling 105, and quoting the file number 231022/1708, or via the Crime Stoppers line on 0800 555 111.
- RNZ