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Sep 20, 2007
Body found in car outside abandoned girl's NZ home
It is believed to be that of 3-year-old's mum; US police step up hunt for father
By Roger Maynard
SYDNEY - A BODY believed to be that of the mother of 'Pumpkin' - the little girl abandoned in Melbourne at
the weekend - was discovered in a car outside their New Zealand home yesterday.
Mr Michael Xue, the father of three-year-old Xue Qian Xun, is now regarded as the prime suspect in a
murder and kidnap investigation spanning three countries.
His 27-year-old wife Anan Liu was last seen alive 10 days ago.
Mr Xue flew to Los Angeles after apparently abandoning his daughter at Melbourne's Spencer Street
railway station, where she was found wandering on Saturday.
New Zealand Detective Inspector Dave Pearson was quoted by the New Zealand Herald yesterday as
saying: 'We're looking towards the child being kidnapped by Mr Xue.'
Police in the United States were last night stepping up their search for Mr Xue.
A post-mortem, to be carried out in New Zealand today, is expected to confirm that the body found in the
boot of the car is Ms Liu's.
The car was emblazoned with the logo 'Chinese Times', the name of a magazine published by Mr Xue, the
Herald reported.
Asked why it had taken so long to find the body, Senior Sergeant Simon Scott said there had been delays
in obtaining a search warrant.
Police had earlier expressed 'grave fears' for Ms Liu, who is believed to have met her 54-year-old husband
about five years ago in New Zealand when she was an international student.
Both Mr Xue and Ms Liu are from China.
Police became increasingly concerned for Ms Liu's safety after it emerged that the couple had a history of
domestic violence.
Earlier fears over the safety of Mr Xue's daughter from a previous marriage proved to be unfounded,
however.
Police said the young woman, who disappeared about five years ago, had been found living in New
Zealand.
Meanwhile, further details emerged yesterday about Mr Xue. He moved from China to New Zealand about
10 years ago and ran a martial arts school in Auckland, but was believed to be depressed and having
money problems.
And while he regularly attended social functions with his wife, their relationship was dogged by rows and
violence.
In June, a New Zealand court convicted him of assaulting his wife, and family friends claim he hit her
repeatedly. The situation apparently became so bad that Ms Liu fled the family home earlier this year and
moved to Wellington, although she returned to Auckland last month.
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Police had also confiscated a large ceremonial sword from Mr Xue following a report of domestic violence.
He reclaimed it the day he left the country.
And while close associates said he was proud of Qian Xun, others claimed they never saw them together in
public.
Meanwhile, the girl is in foster care in Melbourne, although the Herald has reported that her grandmother
is preparing to fly to Australia and wants to take her back to China.
Social services staff said the child - nicknamed 'Pumpkin' after the brand of clothing she was wearing when
she was found - has been sleeping and eating well.
But she will need plenty of stability and affection in the coming days, they added.
New Zealand MP Pansy Wong, who knew the parents professionally, said she was devastated by the latest
developments.
'Obviously the body is still being identified, but we are all trying to digest this tragedy,' she said. 'I feel
very upset for Qian Xun.'
rogmaynard@compuserve.com
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