Taking to Facebook, Muriwai’s mother Jasmin Gray wrote: “As Breanna’s mama, I’d like to be the first one to address the nation with some news of our beloved girl.
“It wasn’t the outcome we were hoping for, but we still hold on to hope that we will have our closure and the fullest justice.
“I won’t comment any further or share any details at this stage however, I feel you all deserve to know so we can all come out of this limbo together,” Gray continued.
“You’ll all know more in due course.”
The mother of missing woman Breanna Muriwai posted to Facebook tonight about a major development in the case.
Gray said she and her whānau would be taking some time to “process the reality of it all”.
“No words can describe the gratitude we have for all of our supporters, without you we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
Muriwai’s mother made a Facebook live post last year, just before the one-year anniversary of her daughter’s disappearance, saying police had told her “she’s not coming home alive”.
Permission or payment to Woman's Day is required. Jasmin Gray holds a photograph of her daughter Breanna Muriwai. Photo / Woman's Day
In the post, Gray told more than 5000 viewers about her recent discussions with detectives, and shared a recording of a conversation with a man who claimed to have information about a purple suitcase police earlier called “significant” to the investigation.
“I did get to have a meeting with the detectives about three weeks ago,” Gray said.
“So I did ask them, I said to them I still hold on to a little bit of hope. You do as a parent, as a mum, you hold on to a glimmer of hope that Breanna’s still alive, that your baby’s still alive.
“I asked the detectives, ‘Is there still some hope Breanna’s gonna come back walking through the door?’ and they said, ‘We’ve already told you, she’s not coming home alive’.”
Muriwai was picked up on the Friday before her disappearance by a male friend from Wellington. They travelled to Palmerston North where they stayed until Saturday night.
The last CCTV images of Muriwai were captured at a liquor store in Palmerston North about 11.15am on the Saturday.
They began to head back to Muriwai’s home that evening, picking up another man on the way and continuing south. They stopped along the way several times, with a friend withdrawing money from Muriwai’s bank account during one of the stops.
“Breanna is reported to have run off down the beach and has not been seen since,” Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Thompson said.
Believed to be key to the investigation is the purple suitcase that was seen and photographed by a member of the public later on the morning of Muriwai’s disappearance. By the time police were told about the suitcase - found with Muriwai’s handbag - it had been removed from the beach.
Man claimed to have taken suitcase from beach in recorded conversation
In Gray’s Facebook video last year, she played a recording of a conversation she had with a man who claimed to be the one who took the suitcase from the beach. The recording is said to have been taken about five months after Muriwai’s disappearance.
The man told Gray he received a phone call from one of the men believed to have been with Muriwai when she disappeared. He said the man asked him to head to the beach and pick up his “stuff”.
The man said he called the other person when he arrived at the beach. He found the suitcase with a handbag on top, which he said was wet and contained sand and a mask. Nearby he found what appeared to be a woman’s black shirt.
The purple suitcase police are seeking. Photo / NZ Police
He said he peeked inside the suitcase and saw a pair of grey trackpants, and a white shirt, and that the other man asked him over the phone if his pants were in the area.
“I sort of walked around the area, couldn’t see anything. Then he said, ‘Is there anything else? Have a quick look, but get out of there’,” the man said in the recording.
He said he took the items, met up with the man, and believes the man took the suitcase away.
Gray said Muriwai’s phone was found on the shoreline at the beach about five weeks later. She said police have been able to charge and turn on the phone, leading her to believe it had not been on the beach for that whole time, but had been “placed there” by someone.
“All I want is my daughter home . . . anything else after that doesn’t matter to me at the moment, I’m only just dealing with that one process, the number one thing at the top of the list is bringing my girl home. There will never ever be justice so if they’re watching, that’s all I want, I just want my girl home,” Gray said.
Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.
