Fugitive Nai Xin Xue's hopes of blending quietly into America's
vast Chinese community have been dashed.
Xue's face has been plastered across the biggest-selling Chinese
language newspaper in the United States.
The sad tale of the murder of his wife, An An Liu, in Auckland and
the dumping of his three-year-old daughter, Qian Xun Xue, in
Melbourne has made the front page of the LA-based Chinese Daily
News.
The story, which continues to page three, includes seven photos of
Xue and his deceased wife and abandoned daughter.
US authorities also say they are receiving new information
on the wanted man every day.
Liu's body was discovered in the boot of her husband's car which
had been parked outside their Auckland home for several days. Their
three year old daughter Qian Xun Xue was abandoned by her father at
Melbourne railway station before he flew on to the US.
Television and radio stations are covering the story, with one station reporting that police have spoken to an airport shuttle driver who may have picked up the wanted man from Los Angeles airport.
NZ police say US authorities were contacted three days ago over Nai Yin Xue. The FBI, US Marshals' office and the LA police department have joined Interpol in the search.
The Chief Inspector of the US Marshals office in LA is confident police will find Nai Yin Xue. Inspector Tom Hession says they are following a number of leads and police have spoken to a number of contacts in LA. He says he is in constant contact with New Zealand police and is receiving fresh information every day.
The LAPD says if they find Xue he will be reported to the US justice department for possible extradition to New Zealand.
As the international manhunt for her husband intensifies, police in New Zealand have confirmed An An Liu was brutally murdered. They have not yet revealed details of how she died.
Police have come in for criticism over how long it took to discover An An Liu 's body.
A top Auckland detective says they may have to take the criticism on the chin.
Detective Inspector David Pearson concedes police could have looked at the car where the missing woman's body was found a bit quicker and he says investigators were possibly too cautious in complying with all the rules.
But he says when police were first contacted by their Australian counterparts, they were not looking for a body but for relatives of Liu's abandoned daughter.
Deputy police commissioner Rob Pope is discarding any comparisons to Keystone Cops.
"This is a professionally run inquiry with experienced officers who know what they are doing," says Pope. "Anyone that steps back and looks at the complexity of what they are dealing with...I think they would be struggling to put the term keystone, unprofessional or slipshod to this investigation."
Minute's silence for An An Liu
Residents of Waitakere city are being asked to observe a minute's silence for An An Liu on Friday during the opening of the city's annual moon festival.
The festival is a Chinese celebration marking the rising of the new harvest moon.
Mayor Bob Harvey says the city is running a campaign against family violence and Liu was a victim of domestic violence. He says Waitakere has a direct link with Liu as she spent time in one of the city's refuges.
Meanwhile, Child Youth and Family says it will take over custody of Liu's daughter from Australian authorities. The department hopes the three year old will be back in New Zealand by the end of the month to be reunited with her grandmother who is travelling from China.
