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The two sisters of slain toddler Nia Glassie have been deserted by their mother - and their father has also returned home to Australia.
No one knows where Lisa Kuka was or what she might have been doing that was more important, but the Herald on Sunday can confirm she was a no-show at crucial discussions to decide the fate of Jessie, 10, and Esther, 8 - the two children who witnessed the alleged abuse of Nia.
The children's father, Glassie Glassie jnr, has also left his two daughters and their brother Jerome, despite talk at Nia's funeral that he would remain in Tokoroa.
Both Jessie and Esther were taken from Kuka, and placed in Child Youth and Family custody around the time of Nia's death.
Last month, CYF called a meeting to discuss Kuka having supervised access to the two children, but she did not turn up. A Family Group conference was then called a fortnight ago and again Kuka was a no-show.
It is understood she also did not respond to numerous phone calls from CYF.
At that conference, attended by about 30 people, it was decided Jessie and Esther would be placed into the care of their grandparents, Glassie and Celina Glassie, who live in Tokoroa.
They currently have custody of Jerome. With this decision, Kuka now no longer has custody of any of her six children.
She has left Rotorua and is understood to be living with her sister April in Auckland. She could not be reached for comment.
Kuka's mother, Polly Kuka, refused to speak to the Herald on Sunday.
Jessie and Esther are expected to be crucial to the Crown case against the five accused of causing the injuries that killed Nia.
Kuka, 34, had left Nia in the care of the accused, which included her 17-year-old boyfriend Wiremu Curtis, while she was at work at a kiwifruit factory in Te Puke. It is not known whether the couple are still together.
During that time, police allege, Nia was hung from a clothesline, spun in a tumble dryer and left screaming on the roof of her Frank St, Rotorua, rental home. She was admitted to Starship Hospital on July 22 and died on August 3. Her death sparked a national outcry over child abuse.
The age of Kuka's children range from Nia, 3, to her eldest Roy, who is 16. He lives with his biological father.
Jerome, 11, was taken in by his paternal grandparents Glassie and Celina Glassie in Tokoroa when Glassie Glassie Jnr moved to Australia.
Another of Kuka's children, Jamie, now 14, has been living with Lisa's sister Donna since she was a baby.
Celina Glassie said she was "disappointed but not surprised" about Kuka not having anything to do with her children. She had no idea why Kuka hadn't fronted at either of the two CYF meetings to discuss the future of her two children as she hadn't heard anything from her since the funeral in Tokoroa. She said her son had to return home to Australia for work commitments, but had enjoyed the brief time he had shared with Esther, Jessie and Jerome. He was pleased, she said, Esther and Jessie would now be living with her and her husband.
"Our main aim now is for the children. We're a pretty strong family. We'll be fine."
A CYF spokesman said that Jessie and Esther were now in the care of extended family and "we are confident that their caregivers are very protective of them".
Kuka has repeatedly said she was unaware her daughter was being abused. In interviews, she has also spoken of her "love" for her children.
Police have not ruled out laying charges against Kuka and are awaiting the results of a pathology report before deciding on their next move. Part of the police investigation into Nia's death includes whether Jessie and Esther were abused.
William Curtis, 47, is charged with assault and injuring with intent to injure Nia between March and July this year. It is alleged that he wrapped a scarf twice around her neck, then lifted her off the ground and strangled her with it until she turned purple.
Wiremu Curtis, his son and Kuka's boyfriend at the time, is also jointly charged with three others, Michael Curtis, Michael Pearson and Oriwa Kemp with assaulting Nia. They next appear in court on September 27 for a pre-depositions hearing.
The story so far
Police claim that between March and July, 3-year-old Nia Glassie was abused and tortured at separate addresses in Rotorua. The abuse, police say, intensified in the three days before Sunday, July 22, when Nia's mother Lisa Kuka sought hospital treatment for her daughter in Rotorua.
After being seen by doctors in Rotorua on July 22, Nia was flown to Starship children's hospital in Auckland with abdominal injuries and bleeding on the brain.
On July 26, details emerged of the horrific abuse suffered by the 3-year-old, including how she was hung on a clothes line and spun in a clothes dryer. That day, four people were arrested and charged with assault.
The following day the father of Kuka's 17-year-old partner was arrested and charged with assault and injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
On August 3, Nia died in Starship and was laid to rest six days later.
