Xue family murder and abandonment: Difference between revisions
m moving mug shot to arrest section |
→The little girl: edited out needless (and frankly, disrespectful) "trivia" |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
== The little girl == |
== The little girl == |
||
The girl's name has been given in the media as "Qian Xun Xue", where the first two syllables are in fact her given name, which would normally be written as one word, with the surname Xue placed before (Chinese-style) or after (Western-style). Her name is 薛千尋 in [[Traditional Chinese]], 薛千寻 in [[Simplified Chinese]] and ''Xuē Qiānxún'' in [[Pinyin]] transcription. |
The girl's name has been given in the media as "Qian Xun Xue", where the first two syllables are in fact her given name, which would normally be written as one word, with the surname Xue placed before (Chinese-style) or after (Western-style). Her name is 薛千尋 in [[Traditional Chinese]], 薛千寻 in [[Simplified Chinese]] and ''Xuē Qiānxún'' in [[Pinyin]] transcription. |
||
The name 千尋 (''Qiānxún'') literally means "thousand searching" in Chinese and uses the same characters as that of Chihiro (千尋) from the Japanese film, [[Spirited Away]]. |
|||
Her English name has been given as Claire Xue. |
Her English name has been given as Claire Xue. |
||
Revision as of 15:04, 1 March 2008
The Qian Xun Xue, or "Pumpkin" case involves the abandonment of a three-year-old girl, Qian Xun Xue, (also known as Clare Xue) at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne, the death of her mother, Anan (Annie) Liu (Chinese: 劉安安), in Auckland, and the search for her father, Nai Yin (Michael) Xue (Chinese: 薛乃印), in the United States.
The case has attracted widespread media coverage in both Australia[1] and New Zealand. It has also gained attention in the United States after being featured in an episode of the television show America's Most Wanted.
On February 28, 2008, Nai Yin Xue was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia.[2]
The little girl
The girl's name has been given in the media as "Qian Xun Xue", where the first two syllables are in fact her given name, which would normally be written as one word, with the surname Xue placed before (Chinese-style) or after (Western-style). Her name is 薛千尋 in Traditional Chinese, 薛千寻 in Simplified Chinese and Xuē Qiānxún in Pinyin transcription.
Her English name has been given as Claire Xue.
Initial case
Qian Xun Xue was abandoned near the base of an escalator at Melbourne's Southern Cross railway station on Saturday 15 September 2007[3] by her father, Nai Yin Xue, who boarded a flight to Los Angeles later that day.[4] Originally unable to ascertain her real name, police in Melbourne nicknamed the child Pumpkin due to the Pumpkin Patch brand clothing she was wearing at the time.[3] "Pumpkin" was soon placed in emergency foster care on 16 September.[5]
On Monday, 17 September, police learned the identities of the girl and her father, who had flown from Auckland two days prior to the abandonment.[6] The girl's 27-year-old mother, Anan (Annie) Liu, remained missing until her body was found on Wednesday 19 September in the boot of Mr Xue's car at their family home in Auckland.[7]
Police handling
Victoria Police gave information about Mr Xue to Interpol, the New Zealand and U.S. police on 16 September.[8] Once Ms Liu's body was found, an arrest warrant for Mr Xue was issued by New Zealand Police on 20 September and sent to Interpol in the United States who were quick to issue a 'red notice' asking the Los Angeles Police Department to find the wanted man.[8][9] However, the LAPD claim they did not receive an arrest warrant from Interpol and that they required a warrant directly from New Zealand.[8] New Zealand police were quick to refute the claim and did not require to send another to the LAPD.[8] The Federal Bureau of Investigation have offered their help in finding Mr Xue.[9]
New Zealand Police have been criticised for bungling the investigation, including failure to discover Ms Liu's body in the parked car for at least two days, and slow response to issue a warrant for the arrest of Mr Xue, allowing him to disappear in the USA.[10]
The US Marshall Service issued a wanted poster for Mr Xue, describing him as 'armed and dangerous'.[11] This poster is to assist in the finding of Mr Xue. They have recommended that if Mr Xue is spotted, they should not confront him and contact the authorities.[11] He was also on the highly viewed television show America's Most Wanted.
Mr Xue was since seen in Houston, Texas, Biloxi, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama,[12].
Arrest
On Thursday 28 February 2008, a group of six people living in an apartment block in Chamblee, Atlanta, Georgia recognised Mr Xue from a photograph in the Chinese-language press and captured him. They removed his pants and tied them around his legs. They used his belt to tie his hands behind his back until police arrived to arrest him. [2][13]
Xue initially attempted to provide a false name but he was identified from his New Zealand drivers licence. He had been on the run for 24 weeks. [14]
Xue will be extradited to New Zealand to face murder charges in the death of his wife.[15]
Custody
Custody of the child was sought by her maternal grandmother, Liu Xiao Ping, from China. However, the child also has a half sister, Grace Xue, who claims also to have been abandoned by their father at the age of 19, weeks after she arrived in a foreign country. The half sister, now 27, expressed an interest in caring for the child although they had never met.[16]
Qian Xun returned to Auckland on 24 September 2007 where she was soon reunited with her grandmother. [11]
On October 4 2007, the Family Court in New Zealand granted custody of Qian Xun to her grandmother, and visitation rights to her half sister, Grace Xue. [17] Shortly after, Qian Xun returned to China with her grandmother on 6 October 2007. [18]
References
- ^ How to talk to children about Pumpkin The Age, 19 September 2007
- ^ a b Pumpkin's fugitive father captured in America
- ^ a b Plea for 'Pumpkin': please come forward The Age, 17 September 2007
- ^ Where is this little girl's mum? The Age, 18 September 2007
- ^ "Relative" abandoned Pumpkin The Age, 17 September 2007.
- ^ Revealed: the man who left 'Pumpkin' The Age, 17 September 2007
- ^ Body found in car The Age, 19 September 2007
- ^ a b c d Murder and kidnapping warrant issued for Xue Sydney Morning Herald, 20 September 2007
- ^ a b Arrest warrant for Pumpkin's dad News.com.au, 20 September 2007
- ^ Police bungle Pumpkin case The Daily Telegraph, 20 September 2007
- ^ a b c Pumpkin's back in the family The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 September 2007
- ^ Fugitive Nai Yin Xue sighted in Houston, New Zealand Herald, 22 February 2008.
- ^ Pumpkin's dad caught, Sydney Morning Herald, February 29, 2008.
- ^ "Dumped child's dad spoke of betrayal". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "'Pumpkin's' dad to be extradited". CNN. 29 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Miletic, Daniella (21 September 2007). "Little girl lost rekindles pain". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Grandmother gets custody of abandoned 3yo". ABC News Online. 4 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
- ^ "'Pumpkin' Qian Xun Xue arrives in China". Herald Sun. 8 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help)