Beckenridge inquest: Stake found at clifftop where vehicle took plunge

News
Crime

Author: Emily Moorhouse,
Publish Date: Thu, 25 May 2023, 2:13pm

WARNING: This article discusses suicide and may be distressing.

A detective who examined the clifftop from which John Beckenridge’s vehicle plunged found a stake stuck in the ground at the scene.

Now questions have been raised about whether it acted as a marker to indicate where to jump from the vehicle before it fell 80m into treacherous waters.

Swedish-born helicopter pilot John Beckenridge broke a court order by collecting his 11-year-old stepson Mike Zhao-Beckenridge from his Invercargill school on March 13, 2015.

A week later, Beckenridge’s 4WD Volkswagen Touareg went off an almost 90-metre cliff near Curio Bay, in Southland. But when police recovered the vehicle there were no signs of any bodies and the two have been missing since.

A stake was found roughly 3m from the cliff edge the Beckenridges' vehicle went off, acting as a sight line to the drop-off.

However, Mike’s mother Fiona Lu is convinced her son is alive and her former partner, Beckenridge, staged the pair’s death after she moved Mike from Beckenridge’s Queenstown home to Invercargill with her new partner.

Now, Coroner Marcus Elliot is looking into the case at the Christchurch District Court to consider whether it is likely the pair are dead.

On Thursday, Detective Dougall Henderson described the clifftop scene on a Mair Rd farm from which Beckenridge’s vehicle plummeted.

The paddock, which is accessed by a farm gate, has a steep drop-off some 80m above the shoreline.

Two used tea bags and a toothbrush were found in the flattened area as well as a set of tyre tracks leading toward the cliff’s verge.

But what was perhaps the most bizarre discovery was two pieces of wood tied together with rope and stuck in the ground roughly 3m from the edge.

Scene investigators consider it likely the stakes had been placed in the ground to give a sightline to the cliff edge, ensuring the vehicle would land in water, avoiding a rock shelf at the base of the cliff on one side, and shoreline to the other.

The vehicle plunged around 80m into treacherous waters. Photo / supplied

“To me, it appeared that being back in that flattened area at the start you wouldn’t know what the best area is to go off the cliff,” Henderson told the Coroner’s court.

Private Investigator Mark Templeman asked Henderson if he thought the stake could have indicated where someone was to jump out of the vehicle before it went off the edge. Henderson said he was unsure.

Clothing belonging to Beckenridge and Mike as well as car debris washed ashore in the Curio Bay area, which was gathered by police for further examination.

Of the items found was Mike’s school bag with his black school shoes, school uniform, a rugby jersey and a zip lock bag with plasters. A single Nike gym shoe was also found.

A distinctive Kangbo brand vest, a Blundstone boot and a white tee-shirt were also recovered, clothing that Beckenridge was captured wearing on CCTV footage at the Tokonui garage on March 16, 2015.

The court also heard from then Senior Constable Robert Camden who was contacted by a farmer on March 18 of that year. The farmer told Camden he had seen Beckenridge’s vehicle near his farm off Pope Rd, near Slope Point.

A Blundstone boot and distinctive Kangbo brand vest belonging to John Beckenridge washed ashore near Curio Bay after his disappearance.

Camden examined the scene, locating “recent” tyre prints. He said the car had obviously been parked overnight and the grass was flattened as if people had been lying on it.

He also found eggshells from what he thought were hard-boiled eggs, an apple sticker, a nut bar wrapper, a piece of “fresh” lettuce, a bread tag and toilet tissue near a tree.

Templeman asked Camden if dog tracking units were called to search the clifftop area on foot, but Camden could not recall.

Heartbreaking texts sent from Mike to his mother before his disappearance read: “You do not deserve to be my mum. You certainly do not deserve my love.”

As police continued their search, they were alerted to a reported sighting of the pair on March 19 at a campsite off Weir Rd on the Haldane estuary, about 14km from the cliff Beckenridge’s vehicle went off.

Swab testing and further examinations of the site revealed a plaster with Mike’s fingerprints on it as well as prints of a shoe belonging to Beckenridge, which would later wash ashore in the Curio Bay area.

Police have been searching for Mike and his stepfather John Beckenridge since they went missing on March 13, 2015. Photo / ODT

On Monday, Preston outlined the case to the Coroner’s court. She said Beckenridge met Mike’s mother, who is from China, in 2006. Lu’s parents were raising Mike at the time.

The pair later moved with Mike to Queenstown. Their relationship ended in 2014. Shortly after that, Lu moved to Invercargill.

In February 2015, the Queenstown Family Court made an order that Lu should have care of Mike.

Mike was unhappy to be taken away from his stepfather and was secretly communicating with him by email.

He told Beckenridge he was intentionally misbehaving so he could return to his care and that he had also called the police, claiming his mother had assaulted him in the hope he would be sent back to Queenstown.

On March 20, Beckenridge’s friends began receiving “concerning” texts from him, stating the “Gestapo” was after him and Mike, and they would soon be getting on the “Midnight Express” for departure.

Beckenridge's car was found at the bottom a cliff near Curio Bay. Photo / ODT

On March 22, items belonging to the pair, such as clothes and car parts, washed ashore in the Curio Bay area. Soon after, Beckenridge’s vehicle was found at the bottom of the cliff.

The police national dive squad was able to investigate the wreckage on March 29 but it wasn’t until May 6 that it was completely recovered.

To date, police have had 60 suspected sightings of the Beckenridges or their vehicle, some of which have been deemed unlikely or eliminated.

Information about possible sightings continue to be reported from within New Zealand and from Kiwis abroad.

The hearing continues.

SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION

Where to get help:
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (available 24/7)
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO (available 24/7)
• Youth services: (06) 3555 906
• Youthline: 0800 376 633
• What's Up: 0800 942 8787 (11am to11pm)
• Depression helpline: 0800 111 757 (available 24/7)
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
• Helpline: 1737
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.