Baby Ru died just before his second birthday, on 22 October 2023, after being taken to Hutt Hospital in an unresponsive state. Photo: Supplied
Police believe new evidence uncovered in relation to the death of Lower Hutt toddler Baby Ru was deliberately concealed.
Police opened a homicide investigation after 'Baby Ru', officially named Nga Reo Te Huatahi Reremoana Ahipene-Wall, died at Hutt Hospital on 22 October 2023 after a massive blunt force trauma to his head, two days before he would have turned two years old.
Police have previously named three people of interest, Rosie Morunga, her partner Dylan Ross, and the child's mother, Storm Wall, who were all living at the same Poole Street house with Ru.
Vital evidence had been removed from the house, muddying the investigation, police have said previously, including a hard drive containing CCTV footage from the house.
But now investigators have received new "critical" information about the case, police said in a statement on Friday.
It led them to carry out a "targeted search" at Moonshine Road, just off the busy Haywards Hill highway, in a semi-rural area, north of Wellington.
And items were found there that are "highly relevant to the homicide investigation"
Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard said the area was a 20-minute drive from the home where Ru lived.
He said the items were being examined forensically, but police could not comment on what they were.
Pritchard said the new information that led to the search did not come from the public, and was not available when Ru died.
Police believe a grey-green 1994 Nissan Sentra, with the number plate TE6972 was used to transport items from the crime scene.
Pritchard also hoped the latest development could jog people's memory about any suspicious activity, especially on Moonshine Road.
"Our message to them is please contact us if you saw something out of place on 22 October last year."
Police still want to hear from anyone with information about the case, by calling 105, and quoting the file number 231022/1708, or via the Crime Stoppers line on 0800 555 111.
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