Home scoured in hunt for missing mum

Police are looking at the grounds of a Mt Roskill property where Qian Xue's family lived in exhaustive detail in hunt for the child's mum

19 September 2007
Detectives are combing every inch of a property in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill where abandoned three-year-old Qian Xue lived with her parents.

The child's mother Anan Liu remains missing and is being looked for by police, in an inquiry sparked after the girl was dumped at a Melbourne railway station by her father, Nai Yin Xue, on September 15. Mr Xue then left Melbourne on a flight to the US and is being sought by Interpol, while Qian remains in the care of Australian social services.

Auckland police investigating Mrs Liu's disappearance are hoping clues at the family's Mt Roskill property will lead them to her. Newstalk ZB's reporter at the scene says police officers are conducting a painstaking search of the home's front garden. He says officers are walking backwards and forwards looking at the grounds in exhaustive detail, focusing on something behind a mattress.

A police photographer also spent much of the afternoon taking pictures in the garden and the area cordoned off by police has now been extended to include the immediate roadside outside the house.

Police have had one unconfirmed sighting Mrs Liu on September 11. Bank records show she has not touched her account since September 10. Her mobile phone goes straight to voicemail.

Women's Refuge has revealed she and her daughter spent a month at a refuge last year. Spokeswoman Catherine Delore says Ms Liu and her daughter stayed at Auckland's Shakti Asian Women's Refuge last September, where she was assisted with parenting and protection orders. She says Mrs Liu left before the documents were processed, and told staff she wanted to go to China to visit her parents. Ms Delore says she never got back in touch and did not leave a forwarding address.

The Shakti Asian women's safe-house says it is deeply disturbed by speculation about the Mrs Liu's motives and character. Spokeswoman Shila Nair says her dignity and honour should not be compromised. She says the organisation is deeply concerned about her wellbeing and is working with the police and Chinese community to provide any information that might help find her.

Also this afternoon, Mr Xue's former lawyer spoke out, describing him as a pleasant man. Calvin Wootton represented him on family violence related issues and says he was shocked to hear he had abandoned his daughter. He says Mr Xue was proud to be a father, loved his family and was always courteous and gentlemanly when he worked with him.

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