Crucial evidence was removed from the scene of baby Ru’s killing even as the child lay dead in hospital.
The three adults living with Ruthless-Empire Ahipene-Wall in the Lower Hutt home drove him to Hutt Hospital on the morning of October 22 - then the car returned to the property and was used to take away items considered vital to the police investigation.
Police believe the nearly-2-year-old suffered multiple violent injuries to his head earlier that morning.
Here is what we know so far on the case.
Ruthless-Empire was injured the same morning he was taken to hospital, police believe.
Investigation head Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard said today that while medical evidence showed Ru could have been injured up to 12 hours before he was pronounced dead, police believe the injuries happened in the morning of October 22.
“All the injuries were to his head. They were severe, and they caused his death. This poor child suffered a violent death,” Pritchard told media.
“It could have been a weapon or it could have been through physical force such as slamming a head on a hard floor or a table.
“Our belief is that these [injuries] were intentionally caused.”
From wider investigations, police believed this happened during the morning, not the night before or in the middle of the night.
“This level of violence against a young child is really hard to fathom.”
Highly relevant evidence disposed of
The light grey-green Nissan Sentra sedan used to drive Ru and three adults to the hospital that morning then returned back to the property on Poole St, Taitā, and was used to dispose of crucial evidence.
“A person or persons have removed property directly relevant to the homicide investigation. This property has been taken from the scene and has been concealed or disposed of.”
Police investigating the death of baby Ru are seeking sightings of this vehicle on October 22, the day the toddler was taken to Hutt Hospital. Photo / NZ Police
Pritchard said attempts had been made to clean and alter the crime scene, but could not say who had been involved.
Police are urgently seeking sightings of the car, registration TE6972, around the Wellington region between the morning of October 22, and mid-afternoon of October 24.
They were working to build a timeline of where the car had been, but know it travelled to and from the Poole St house at least three times after Ru was taken to hospital, but before police were able to secure the scene.
The car has since been seized, forensically tested, and returned to its owner.
People of interest not sharing the “complete story”
Pritchard said police are continuing to engage with three people of interest - the adults who were present at the time of Ru’s fatal injuries - but are still not getting the full story.
“We know they have vital information that they can give us, I urge them to come forward and speak with us,” he said.
“I can’t say why or what their motives are for not giving us the complete story, but we know they have that information and I urge them to come forward and talk to us.”
Police have spoken with the three people and are still assessing their evidence for “reliability, credibility and whether the accounts can be corroborated”.
Who was in the house?
The Herald earlier revealed the three adults living in the house with Ru were his mother, Storm Angel Wall, as well as Rosie Morunga and her partner, Dylan Ross.
Wall earlier said Morunga and Ross offered to put Ru to bed the night before, and that they put him into her bed with her about 10pm.
She said he seemed “drowsy” in the morning.
Dylan Ross, Rosie Morunga and Storm Angel Wall.
Wall was getting ready to go and visit a cousin when she heard noises in the house, and claimed she was then told Ruthless-Empire was choking.
She said she tried doing first aid, “to see if he could get any form of phlegm or anything out and therefore he was getting his grasp of breath”.
After that, the three adults took Ru to hospital and he was pronounced dead shortly after.
Anyone with information on the case can contact police on 105 quoting file number 231022/1708.
Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
