The family of a “happy-go-lucky” young dad from Hastings are seeking answers after his violent death just before Christmas - 16 years after his mother went missing in another suspected homicide. 

Both cases remain unsolved and anyone with information is being urged by the family to come forward and help bring justice in the latest death. 

Javon Jesse Aranui, 24, was allegedly assaulted and left with serious head injuries in a Hastings suburb during the early hours of Wednesday, December 20. He died the next day in hospital. 

Police launched a homicide investigation and have called on the public for information and CCTV but, as of Tuesday, no arrests had been made - four weeks after the tragedy. 

Aranui’s mother, Annabell Tumanako, went missing from Napier in 2007 in what has become one of Hawke’s Bay’s most high-profile cold cases. 

Tumanako’s body was never found despite a huge search and investigation. Police deemed her disappearance was “most likely” the result of “foul play” and the police file remains open. 

Tiopira “Joe” Tumanako raised her daughter Annabell’s children following her disappearance, including Aranui. 

He said his grandson’s recent death had been hard on the wider family and he was the kind of person who always wore a smile and was willing to lend a hand. 

“He always had that smile on his face and was always laughing. He was a happy-go-lucky person.” 

Joe Tumanako urged anyone with information to contact police. 

“Somebody out there knows. It would be good if someone could come forward,” he said. “Anything will help.” 

Aranui was a father to one child and worked in horticulture. Tumanako said Aranui’s uncle also died just a few weeks prior, due to illness, which had made the period even more difficult. 

Javon Aranui died just before Christmas following an alleged serious assault in Hastings. Photo / Tiopira "Joe" Tumanako 

A death notice for Aranui stated he was a “loved cousin, nephew and friend to many” who will be “forever loved and forever missed by his extended family and all who knew him”. 

If you can help, call police on 105 and quote reference number 231220/1498. You can also provide information anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111. 

The death of Javon Aranui 

The alleged assault on December 20 happened “in the vicinity” of the corner of Jellicoe and Hood streets in the Hastings suburb of Mayfair - a few streets away from Splash Planet - about 3am. 

Police tape was visible around a driveway on Jellicoe St following the assault. 

Aranui suffered a serious head injury in the assault and was flown to Wellington Hospital, where he underwent surgery but died the following day. 

Police want to hear from anyone who witnessed the assault, any Jellicoe St residents who may have relevant CCTV footage, or anyone who was in the area and has information which could assist the investigation. 

“Our thoughts are with his whānau and loved ones at this difficult time,” police said in a statement, following Aranui’s death. 

The 2007 disappearance of Annabell Tumanako 

Aranui’s mum Annabell - who had five children - was last reported alive when leaving her Maraenui address in Napier on the Saturday afternoon of June 23, 2007. 

She was 35 and Javon would have been 8. 

Napier's Annabell Tumanako before she went missing in 2007. 

Annabell Tumanako’s car was seen hours later, parked metres from Westshore Tavern on the outskirts of Napier, on State Highway 2. 

A week later, it was still there, unlocked. A large search for Tumanako, including media publicity, did not result in a body being found. 

Her family also made public appeals following the disappearance to try and find out what happened to her and her case featured in a television episode of Police Ten 7. 

An inquest in 2014 concluded Tumanako must have died, but her death remained unexplained. 

“If foul play was involved in Annabell’s disappearance, and that is the most likely scenario, then it’s also likely that those involved have shared what happened with their own friends or whānau,” Detective Sergeant Craig Vining said in 2022, encouraging anyone with information in her cold case to come forward, by contacting police or Crime Stoppers. 

Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.