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LOS ANGELES - US authorities hunting Nai Yin Xue have received new sightings and information about the New Zealand fugitive.
The new leads were generated by a press conference held in Los Angeles yesterday, at which US Marshals and New Zealand police asked for the American public's help to track Xue down.
Xue is wanted over the murder of his wife, Anan Liu, in New Zealand. He dumped his three-year-old daughter, Qian Xun Xue in Melbourne before fleeing to the US.
The LA affiliates of US TV networks CBS, FOX and NBC all carried stories on their evening and morning news bulletins about the hunt for Xue.
The stories included photos of the 53-year-old Auckland publisher and martial arts expert, information about his height and weight and why New Zealand police want to question him.
The US Marshal heading the hunt for Xue in the US, Tom Hession, would not give details about the fresh leads, but said the information was positive.
"We've received calls," Hession said.
"I'm not going to say how many, but some have generated leads and others haven't.
"These leads are being investigated and run down at this moment."
Xue has been on the run in the US since September 15 and US authorities described the martial arts expert as desperate, nervous and "armed and dangerous".
His chubby body shape - Xue stands at just 170cm, but weighs a hefty 91kg - could make him easily recognisable.
Hession said press conferences like the one staged in LA yesterday can often lead to breakthroughs in catching fugitives.
"It gets our message out and got his face out in the public," he said.
"Sometimes these things generate a lot, sometimes they don't.
"They're a hit and miss thing.
"It's another tool in the tool box."
- AAP
