Sign In / Register
Two Ōrewa residents facing criminal charges in connection with the discovery of a woman’s body in the sea in Gulf Harbour in March appeared again in the North Shore District Court last week.
Kaixiao Liu, 37, and Lanyue Xiao, 36, were remanded on bail until December 12, when their trial will move to the Auckland District Court.
The pair are not charged with the murder of the unidentified female victim, but are charged with “offering an indignity” to the body. Police investigations continue and no-one has been charged with the murder.
Bail conditions require Liu and Xiao to stay at an address in Harvest Avenue, Ōrewa, with a nightime curfew in place
They are also prohibited from making contact with three individuals, named as Hong Chen, Tao Zhang and Xiaohui Hu.
Court documents released to Hibiscus Matters say Liu and Xiao interfered with a body on March 8, four days before a fisherman found it wrapped in bags.
Police described the victim as a petite woman of Asian ethnicity and made public photos of distinctive clothing she was wearing, including pyjama pants.
An Ōrewa resident who saw the photos in the press recalled having seen a woman wearing pyjamas, walking with two other people in central Ōrewa in March. She notified police who studied CCTV footage (HM, July 15).
Police continue to appeal to the public for any information that could assist in identifying the victim. Phone 0800 755 021, 105 or visit www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report and reference file number 240312/9837.
