Case 149

Anan Liu

*** Warning: This case involves a child victim ***

On the morning of September 15 2007, an elderly couple were walking through Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station when they noticed a young Asian girl standing alone near the escalator. Assuming she was lost, police were quickly notified and attempted to identify the toddler. Unable to verify who she was, they nicknamed her “Pumpkin.”

It soon became apparent that Pumpkin had been abandoned, but the reason why or where she came from remained unclear. A search and subsequent criminal investigation ensued that spanned four countries, revealing a truth more tragic than anyone could have foreseen.

CREDITS

Casefile Presents

EPISODE:

Research – Holly Boyd

Writing – Erin Munro

Creative direction – Milly Raso

Narration – Anonymous Host

MUSIC:

‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com

Audio production – Mike Migas

Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

OTHER:

Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska

RESOURCES

NEWS ARTICLES:

Child abandoned at Southern Cross Station – Railpage (16 September 2007)

Abandoned girl sparks global hunt – BBC (18 September 2007)

Mystery of Pumpkin, aged 3, abandoned in railway station – The Independent (19 September 2007)

Body found in car outside Pumpkin’s home – Networked News / NineMSN (19 September 2007)

Pumpkin case: Doco tells of other missing daughter – NZ Herald (19 September 2007)

Pumpkin case: Sad tale of a violent, loveless union – NZ Herald (19 September 2007)

Just the place to abandon an angel – Herald Sun (20 September 2007)

Pumpkin case: Wife An An’s blog reveals sorrow – NZ Herald (20 September 2007)

Pumpkin case: No alert at airport despite court order – NZ Herald (20 September 2007)

Pumpkin case: Body under cops’ noses for two days – NZ Herald (20 September 2007)

Pumpkin mother’s violent end – Daily Telegraph (20 September 2007)

Pumpkin case: Refuge says education on protection orders needed – NZ Herald (20 September 2007)

How Annie Xue lived with a devil – Daily Telegraph (20 September 2007)

Abandoned in NZ: a daughter’s tale – The Age (21 September 2007)

Pumpkin case: latest – NZ Herald (21 September 2007)

Inner words; Xue Naiyin and Liu Anan in the eyes of friends – New Zealand Immigration Forum study (22 September 2007)

A monster sent by the gods – Sydney Morning Herald (22 September 2007)

Pumpkin case: Anan’s shattered dreams – NZ Herald (22 September 2007)

US publishes wanted poster for Xue – NZ Herald (25 September 2007)

‘Pumpkin’ Xue returns to China with grandmother – China Daily (7 October 2007)

Fugitive’s daughter urges father to turn himself in – Stuff (31 January 2008)

NZ fugitive might be hiding out here – The Chron (22 February 2008)

Friends hog-tie murder suspect – The Weekend Press (1 March 2008)

US rush to deport Pumpkin’s father – Sydney Morning Herald (2 March 2008)

Kung fu heroes to give Nai Yin Xue reward to ‘Pumpkin’ – NZ Herald (18 March 2008)

Pumpkin’s dad: ‘I was framed’ – NZ Herald (18 May 2008)

Pumpkin’s mother ‘strangled with sash’ – Sydney Morning Herald (3 September 2008)

Xue tells court ‘I am innocent’ – NZ Herald (4 September 2008)

Xue ‘strangled wife’, court told – Otago Daily Times (4 September 2008)

Pumpkin’s mother’s lover revealed – Stuff (31 January 2009)

Pumpkin’s mum used dad for New Zealand residency – Sydney Morning Herald (4 June 2009)

Pumpkin’s dad Nai Yin Xue ‘cold and mean to wife’ – News.com.au (4 June 2009)

‘Little Pumpkin’ Case: Liu An’an marries for identity – Epoch Times (5 June 2009)

Pumpkin’s grandma in tears over trial query – Sydney Morning Herald (9 June 2009)

Jurors watch moment ‘Pumpkin’ abandoned by father – Sydney Morning Herald (11 June 2009)

Xue judge’s sentencing ‘bewildering’ says mayor – Stuff (30 June 2009)

Sentences row: judge defends colleague – Stuff (15 July 2009)

Xue sentenced to 12 years for wife’s murder – Stuff (7 August 2009)

Xue appeals against verdict in body-in-boot murder case – NZ Herald (10 September 2009)

Provocation defence abolished – NZ Herald (27 November 2009)

Pumpkin’s father abandons murder appeal – Stuff (4 May 2011)

Pumpkin’s father publishes denial – The Age (11 March 2012)

Little Pumpkin thriving in new home – SBS News (24 February 2015)

54 year old Taiji teacher married a young 26 year old wife…. – Zhuanlan Zhihu (24 May 2017)

Search for Pumpkin: $40k for girl whose mother was murdered – News Talks ZB (5 October 2019)

Pumpkin’s dad Nai Yin Xue finally admits to murdering his wife in failed bid for freedom – Stuff (22 March 2020)

JUDGEMENTS:

Sentencing Remarks of Hugh, Williams J, R V XUE HC AK (CRI-2008-004-005894), 31 July 2009 – sourced from www.worldlii.org

New Zealand Parole Board Decision, Nai Yin Xue, 9 March 2020

AUDIO/VIDEO:

NZ fugitive returns to face murder charge – Associated Press (11 March 2008)

Nai Yin Xue found guilty of murder – Mindbender (20 June 2009)

Nai Yin Xue filed for Appeal – RNZ (10 September 2009)

REPORTS:

D’Souza, Radha. (2007). Living at the Cutting Edge: Women’s Experiences of Protection Orders
– Volume 1: The Women’s Stories
– Volume 2: What’s To Be Done? A Critical Analysis of Statutory and Practice Approaches to Domestic Violence
by Neville Robertson, Ruth Busch, Radha D’Souza, Fiona Lam Sheung, Reynu Anand, Roma Balzer, Ariana Simpson and Dulcie Paina – sourced from www.researchgate.net

Heckert, D.A. et al (2004) Battered women’s perceptions of Risk versus risk factors and instruments in predicting repeat assaults. Journal of interpersonal violence. 19. 778-800.
Sourced from www.researchgate.net

Quarterly media analysis of family violence reporting – October – December 2007

An Evaluation of the Waitakere Family Violence Court Protocols (2007)

The Waitakere and Manukau Family Violence Courts: an evaluation summary 2008 – www.waves.org.nz

Family Violence Death Review Committee. (2014). Fourth Annual Report: January 2013 to December 2013. Wellington, Health Quality and Safety Commission

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS:

New Zealand Immigration Operations Manual 2003

JOURNAL ARTICLES:

The suitcase, the samurai sword and the Pumpkin: Asian crime and NZ news media treatment, Sarah Baker and S. Jeanie Benson, Pacific Journalism Review 14 (2) 2008, pp 183 – 204 – sourced from www.researchgate.net