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Disturbing twist in children's suitcase homicide

<p dir="ltr">The two suitcases that contained the bodies of siblings in Auckland were reportedly moved from one unit storage to another before the harrowing discovery. </p> <p dir="ltr">Two children’s bodies were discovered in suitcases by an Auckland family who purchased the bags at an auction on August 11.</p> <p dir="ltr">It has now been revealed that the suitcases were moved in the second half of 2021 between different storage units at the same SafeStore Papatoetoe facility, <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/suitcases-containing-childrens-remains-were-moved-between-storage-units-a-year-before-harrowing-discovery/RWQQNLAU6HINPF6A5L6F2EOMIQ/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NZ Herald</a> reported.</p> <p dir="ltr">A worker told the publication that there were dead flies and rats around the bags but no smell to indicate anything more damning.</p> <p dir="ltr">A SafeStore spokesperson refused to comment due to the ongoing police investigation in which a woman from South Korea, believed to be the children’s mother was arrested. The ​​42-year-old <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/woman-arrested-in-relation-to-dead-children-found-in-suitcases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">woman was arrested</a> by local police following a request from NZ Police. </p> <p dir="ltr">"South Korean authorities arrested the woman today on a Korean arrest warrant pursuant to two charges of murder relating to the two young victims," Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Vaaelua said at the time of the arrest.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The arrest warrant was issued by the Korean Courts as a result of a request by NZ Police for an arrest warrant under the extradition treaty between New Zealand and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).</p> <p dir="ltr">“NZ Police have applied to have her extradited back to New Zealand to face the charges and have requested she remain in custody whilst awaiting the completion of the extradition process.”</p> <p dir="ltr">At the time, Detective Inspector Vaaelua suggested that the children were aged 10 and five respectively when they died four years ago.</p> <p dir="ltr">The family who purchased the property where the suitcases were found are not involved in the deaths and have asked for privacy.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: NZ Herald</em></p>

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Major new detail in suitcase homicide case

<p>A major new detail has been released by police pertaining to the recent <a href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/finance/legal/tragic-update-after-horrific-suitcase-discovery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grim discovery</a> of primary-school-aged human remains inside a suitcase kept for years in a South Auckland storage facility.</p> <p>A family member is being sought by South Korean police in connection to the two bodies found, and may actually be the children’s mother.</p> <p>A police officer said the woman was a Korean-born New Zealander who arrived in South Korea in 2018. There has been no record of her departing South Korea since that time. It is unclear whether or not she had other relatives with her when she arrived in South Korea, her whereabouts were completely unknown.</p> <p>New Zealand police had requested confirmation on whether the person who might be related to a crime case was in South Korea, adding that given her past address and age, she could be the mother of the kids.</p> <p>Two family members of the deceased children are believed to be in Korea. In a press conference, Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia confirmed that NZ police were working with Interpol as part of the homicide investigation.</p> <p>The remains were discovered on August 11, when people living at a Moncrieff Ave, Manurewa, house brought “unowned property” to the address, which they had purchased during an auction from the storage facility.</p> <p>It was confirmed that the bodies of the children had likely been stored in the Papatoetoe Safe Store storage facility for three to four years before being discovered.</p> <p>He was, however, hesitant to reveal too many details about what police knew of the renters or owners of the storage unit over concerns it may compromise the investigation.</p> <p>When asked if police knew the identity of the people who were renting the storage unit, Vaaelua said: “Yes, we are following positive lines of inquiry in regards to the storage unit with the assistance of the storage company.”</p> <p><em>Image: TNVZ/Handout</em></p>

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Hunt for Easter Show killer taken over by homicide squad

<p>The investigation into the violent Easter Show murder of teenager Uati Faletolu has escalated to the homicide squad, with dedicated investigators taking charge of the case . </p> <p>The 17-year-old was taking a break from working on one of the carnival rides at the Easter Show when he was targeted in the brawl that ended in the <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/easter-show-chaos-one-teen-dead-one-in-hospital-one-arrested" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stabbing</a> and his eventual death en route to the hospital around 8pm on Monday April 11th.</p> <p>Forensic examiners have investigated the scene but have yet to find significant clues leading them in the direction of the killer. </p> <p>The dedicated homicide detectives, working in partnership with local police, are now focusing on video of the violent incident, calling on witnesses to submit any evidence to Crime Stoppers. </p> <p>Homicide Squad boss Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said investigators were working meticulously through hours of CCTV and other vision to identify those involved in the incident.</p> <p>“Of the vision we have already reviewed, we know there was a significant amount of people filming the incident, many of whom have not yet supplied the vision to police,” Det Supt Doherty said.</p> <p>“In our experience, it is likely that someone – or many people – has unknowingly captured a clear shot of something of relevance to the investigation.”</p> <p>He said investigators were often faced with silence as perpetrators or victims were often “misguided by loyalties or fear of retribution”.</p> <p>Friends of Mr Faletolu told police they believed the attackers were from the rival postcode of Mt Druitt (2770).</p> <p>Uati, 17, has since been linked to the Doonside gang known as 67 for its postcode 2767.</p> <p>Detectives have appealed to anyone who was in the carnival area at the time of the brawl and hasn’t yet spoken to police to come forward.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram </em></p>

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Gabby Petito's cause of death finally announced

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Almost one month after Gabby Petito’s body was discovered, a coroner in the US state of Wyoming has revealed her cause of death.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tenon County Coroner Dr Brett Blue released a memo on Tuesday, listing Gabby’s cause of death as homicide and the cause as, "Death by manual strangulation/throttling."</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Our initial determination is the body was in the wilderness for three to four weeks" before she was found, Blue told reporters, which would place her time of death in mid to late August.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The coroner believes that Gabby’s manner of death is consistent with a tragic end to a domestic violence relationship. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is only one of many deaths around the country of people who are involved in domestic violence and it’s unfortunate that these other deaths do not get as much coverage as this one," Blue said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gabby’s story has gripped the world, after her and her </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">fiancée</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Brian were travelling around the United States on their ‘van life’ road trip, and </span><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-reports-social-media-provide-timeline-gabby-petito-s-disappearance-n1279390"><span style="font-weight: 400;">chronicling their adventures on social media. </span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A few weeks into their trip, </span><a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/tragedy-unfolding-body-confirmed-as-missing-woman-gabby-petito"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gabby’s body was found</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in the Grand Teton National Park on September 19th.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brian returned to his parent’s home in North Port, Florida on September 1st without Gabby, and Gabby was officially reported missing 10 days later. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brian is still at large, as the ruling of Gabby’s autopsy motivates police further to find her fiancée. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">North Port Police Department have made a major breakthrough in the search for Brian, as they have located a small campsite close to his family’s home. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brian is now the</span> <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/new-witnesses-in-gabby-petito-homicide-as-fbi-issue-warrant"><span style="font-weight: 400;">subject of a federal warrant</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">as a key person of interest in Gabby's case, as well as for unauthorised use of another person’s debit card.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You can watch the Teton County Coroner’s full statement on Gabby’s autopsy here:</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hk_OCL4kTXQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram @gabspetito</em></p>

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New witnesses in Gabby Petito homicide as FBI issue warrant

<p>As the FBI continue their investigation of the high-profile Gabby Petito case, two witnesses from Louisiana have shared valuable information from an incident they witnessed last month. </p> <p>Nina Angelo and her boyfriend Matt England were vacationing in Jackson, Wyoming, when they witnessed a "commotion" between Gabby Petito and her fiancé Brian Laundrie. </p> <p>The travelling couple were leaving The Merry Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant on August 27th, where Nina noticed that Gabby was in tears and seeming distressed. </p> <p>Brian was also visibly angry, going in and out of the restaurant serval times and being aggressive towards the eatery staff. </p> <p>The berated waitress was also visibly shaken by the incident, who told CNN that <span>she did not see any violence or physical altercation between Petito and Laundrie.</span></p> <p>Gabby was reported missing by her family on September 11th and <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/tragedy-unfolding-body-confirmed-as-missing-woman-gabby-petito" target="_blank">her remains were found</a> in Grand Tetons National Park on September 19th. </p> <p>Following an autopsy report, FBI and the <span>Teton County Coroner ruled Petito’s death as a homicide, however the cause of death is yet to be determined, pending final autopsy results.</span></p> <p><span>Brain Laundrie remains the number one person of interest in the case, after he returned to his home in Florida in Gabby's van without her, and is refusing to cooperate with police. </span></p> <p><span>After the witnesses in Louisiana have come forward, and <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/could-it-actually-be-him-brian-laundrie-potentially-spotted-on-the-run" target="_blank">a potential sighting of Brian in a Florida town</a>, the FBI have issues an arrest </span>warrant. </p> <p><span>According to the arrest documents issued by the FBI, the warrant is “pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito.”</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">On September 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued a federal arrest warrant for Brian Christopher Laundrie pursuant to a Federal Grand Jury indictment related to Mr. Laundrie’s activities following the death of Gabrielle Petito. <a href="https://t.co/SSrBVbAeBs">pic.twitter.com/SSrBVbAeBs</a></p> — FBI Denver (@FBIDenver) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDenver/status/1441155529393389568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <p><span>“While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr Laundrie, the FBI and our partner across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a statement.</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram @gabspetito</em></p>

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Gabby Petito's father slam's her fiancé

<p>Gabby Petito's father has appeared on Dr. Phil to urge her fiancé Brian Laundrie to come forward with information on what took place on their road trip.</p> <p>Joseph Petito appeared in the special episode shortly before it was confirmed that his daughter has died by homicide, as he slammed Brian and his family for refusing to cooperate in the investigation over her disappearance.</p> <p>Brian Laundrie has been identified as a person of interest in the case, and has recently disappeared from his home in Florida after refusing to help the police.</p> <p><span>“We called every [Laundrie] number we could find and no phone calls were picked up, no text messages were returned,” Joseph told Dr. Phil. </span></p> <p><span>“You’d think when someone says ‘we’re about to call the police’ to find your missing kid, you’d return a phone call." </span></p> <p><span>"I mean, that’s just what logic would dictate for normal people. You don’t get any response, that just makes it more and more concerning.”</span></p> <p><span>Mr Petito slammed his daughter's fiancé for leaving Gabby on the road trip alone and driving back to Florida </span>without her.</p> <p>“It’s not even his van!” he said. “You came home without her, you had her van in your driveway for 10 days.”</p> <p>He added, “You think it’s okay to leave a young 22-year-old in the middle of nowhere?”</p> <p>Joseph went on to quote a statement released by the Laundrie family, as he ripped their words apart.</p> <p><span>After reciting their statement, in which they wrote that it’s “really hard on the Laundrie family and the Petito family,” Mr. Petito says in response, “Well, my child is nowhere to be found and I’m not getting any answers on where to even start."</span></p> <p><span>“So don’t sit there and tell me how difficult it is for you because you’ve got reporters on your block.”</span></p> <p><span>The statement </span>also claims that the family "want the search to be successful", to which Joseph fired back saying, "<span>Well, I don’t know about you, but if I want something to be successful, I will assist in making it successful. Not sit in the background.”</span></p> <p><span>Becoming emotional, Joseph took his opportunity to address Brian </span>directly and tried to appeal to his daughter's fiancé.</p> <p><span>“If you love this person and she’s your fiancé, you should turn around and lead the damn charge. You should be number one, and I should be number two,” he said.</span></p> <p><span>Dr. Phil then asks Joseph what he would say to his daughter if she was listening, and if she was still alive. </span></p> <p><span>Mr Petito said, “Gabby, let me come and get you. I will bring you to my home and I will shelter you from all of this crap until you’re ready.” </span></p> <p><span>“I don’t care about anything else but my daughter’s wellbeing.”</span></p> <p><span>In the days following the interview, FBI officials and the Teton County Coroner ruled Petito’s death as a homicide, however the cause of death is yet to be determined, pending final autopsy results.</span></p> <p><span>Watch the full interview below:</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t5_m-6VAmLM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><em>Image credit: Dr. Phil / Instagram @gabspetito</em></p>

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"Could it actually be him?”: Brian Laundrie potentially spotted on the run

<p>A deer camera in Florida captured footage of a hiker resembling Gabby Petito's missing fiancé Brian Laundrie on Monday. </p> <p>Authorities in Florida say they are "actively" investigating the footage, after a man was seen with a backpack at 6:17am in the town of Baker, Florida, about 800km from Brian's home in North Port. </p> <p>Sam Bass found the suspicious footage from a deer camera on his property and posted an image on Facebook. </p> <p>“I’m not saying this is the guy but whoever was on my trail camera this morning in Baker, Fl strongly fits the description of Brian Laundrie,” Bass wrote on Facebook.</p> <p>“Authorities have been contacted but people in the North West Florida area be on the look out.”</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844283/brian-cam.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/155fb8ef725e4120a6a37200777dd214" /></p> <p><em>Image credit: Facebook - Sam Bass<img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/155fb8ef725e4120a6a37200777dd214" /></em></p> <p>Brian Laundrie is the main person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, and was reported missing by his parents on Friday. </p> <p>The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the town of Baker, confirmed that they were looking into the possible sighting.</p> <p>"We are aware and are actively checking it out," sheriff's spokeswoman Michele Nicholson told the New York Post on Tuesday, adding, "At this point, there is no confirmation."</p> <p>Eagle eye social media users have pointed out that the man's backpack hold several similarities to the one pictured in Brian's Instagram stories. </p> <p><span>“Looks like the guy from Sam Bass’ video in Baker, Florida has the same backpack as Brian Laundrie. Could it actually be him?” wrote one Twitter user.</span></p> <p><span>The possible sighting comes just hours </span>before the autopsy report on Gabby Petito's remains confirmed her death as a homicide. </p> <p><span>The FBI has released a statement, revealing the Teton County Coroner ruled Petito’s death as a homicide, however the cause of death is yet to be determined, pending final autopsy results.</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram @bizarre_design_ / Moab City Police Department</em></p>

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Babysitter charged with murder of baby 35 years later

<p>In 1985, Terry McKirchy was given a light sentence of attempted murder for shaking five-month-old Benjamin Dowling so severely, he suffered permanent brain damage.</p> <p>But the baby never recovered from his injuries and lived his entire life with severe disabilities. He was never able to communicate, needed metal rods inserted near his spine to keep him upright and used a feeding tube to eat.</p> <p>In 2019, a medical examiner from Florida said Dowling finally succumbed to his injuries and died, aged 35.</p> <p>At the time of the incident, McKirchy, 59, told his parents Dowling had fallen off the couch, according to Fox News. The baby was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with shaken infant syndrome.</p> <p>When his mother, Rae, saw him on the night he suffered his injuries, she told police her boy's hands "were clenched and he was turning blue," according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.</p> <p>Ms Dowling and her husband, Joe, said their first son never progressed past a five-month-old after suffering his injuries and continued to depend on his family and others for support all his life.</p> <p>The couple said in a statement: “Benjamin never crawled, fully rolled over, walked, never talked, never fed himself, he never enjoyed a hamburger or an ice cream cone, he could never tell us when he had an itch or anything hurt."</p> <p>“When he cried in pain, we as a family and caregivers had to guess as to what was wrong and hope that we could satisfy his need,” they added.</p> <p>The babysitter spent weekends in jail as part of her sentence but a Broward County Grand jury recently indicted McKirchy as guilty of first-degree murder and she is now jailed near her home in Sugar Land, Texas, pending her return to Florida.</p> <p>Confusion as to why McKirchy wasn't charged with a harsher sentence at the time centres around the fact she was pregnant at the time. David Weinstein, a Miami defence lawyer and former prosecutor who's not involved in the case, said perhaps witnesses were not available or the available medical evidence was not strong.</p> <p>Now the homicide case appears stronger because the medical and scientific evidence has progressed. As prosecutors said in a statement: “The passage of time between the injuries sustained and the death of the victim were considered by the forensic experts who conducted the autopsy and ruled the death was directly caused by the injuries from 1984."</p> <p>“This case was presented to the grand jury, which determined that this was a homicide.”</p> <p>Mr Dowling’s parents said their son “would never know how much he was loved and could never tell others of his love for them.”</p> <p>“Benjamin did smile when he was around his family, although he could never verbalise anything, we believe he knew who we were and that we were working hard to help him,” they said.</p> <p><em><strong>Image credit: AAP</strong></em></p>

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