Police have begun a homicide investigation after Linda Woods, 71, died at her home in the Far North town of Kaikohe on Thursday night after a struggle with an intruder who then fled the Taraire St property barefoot, leaving his shoes behind.
Police said the intruder was described as a male, Māori or Polynesian, aged somewhere between 40-60 years old, and solidly built.
Woods' niece Shianne Maaka told The New Zealand Herald the man had pulled out the breathing tubes from her aunt's nose after beating her. She said Woods had a heart condition and diabetes.
"My daughters were there. They were the ones trying to fight him off," Maaka said.
"I mean, they had to... not only were they fighting for their lives and trying their hardest to deal with that man, then Auntie Linda goes in and they have to see him bashing her.
"[One daughter], she was the one that put the biggest fight up. They're both not good at the moment. [One] is going through a breakdown, shaking and scratching. I've never seen it. She's really traumatised.
"He ripped out her, you know those things, those tubes up her nose, the breathing ones.
"He was beating her up. She took a lot, you know, she took quite a bit of a beating. And then he rips the cords out."
Some dialysis patients require a ventilator to help them breathe during treatment. This is because with each normal breath, the diaphragm drops. This pulls air into the lungs. But if the lungs are very damaged, air must be pushed in to fill them.
Maaka said she was now anxious walking down the street in case she saw the offender and hoped police caught him soon.
"The eerie feeling around Kaikohe is he could be walking past us when we're in town. We just don't know. He could have just slotted back into society acting all civil.
"I wish he was caught. It would help with a lot of anxiety."
Maaka said the support she and her family had received from the wider community was helping them cope.
"What's sort of helped, though, is the amazing support. The community has really pulled together and has helped with a lot of ease, I suppose.
"We're waiting for our other family members to arrive now. My auntie has been sent down to Auckland. We probably have to wait around for two weeks.
"Her house was always packed with all the cousins and she always had us and the girls. That was their nan."
Items left behind
Police today released images of the items the man who assaulted Woods left at the scene, including shoes and cut-off jean shorts.
Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston said police hoped the images would jog someone’s memory from Thursday night.
The offender’s shorts had come off during a struggle with the house occupants as he tried to flee.
A pair of shoes were also found placed on the ground outside the property, Johnston said.
“They are size US13 New Balance Versi Comfort Ride sneakers, colour dark grey and black.”
“We have every confidence that someone in our Kaikohe community knows this man. We are urging you to do the right thing and come forward to us.”
“Additionally, if you saw this man around the time of the incident and have any information about him or his movements, please also get in touch.”
The intruder had dark-coloured short hair speckled with grey, possibly, curly.
“Along with the shorts, he was wearing a dark-coloured basketball-style singlet, with thin red and white piping around the sleeves and collar.
“He was wearing another short-sleeved top under the singlet.”
Homicide a 'savage event'
Woods' death has shocked and frightened residents in her Far North town, where she was a valued member of the community.
Former NZ First MP and Northland politician Shane Jones called the tragedy a "savage event" which had cast a "dark, sad cloud over all of Northland".
Jones and other community members have said crime and anti-social behaviour were increasing in Kaikohe, a town where most people still kept their doors unlocked.
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said he and the wider community were reeling from the incident and called the circumstances scary.
A neighbour said she heard a scream and a loud crash before police arrived just before midnight. She then heard someone call for help.
During the previous two nights, her dog had been "going off" as if an intruder was about, but she had brought him inside on Thursday evening because of the weather.
Knowing someone had harmed her neighbour and got away made her "pretty angry", she said.
One of the women at the house had health issues so nurses paid regular visits. Another neighbour told the Northern Advocate Woods was on home dialysis.
Tepania urged people affected by the incident to seek support.
"It is incredibly tragic what has happened. We need to take extra care. I want to share my condolences to the whānau and I want to send my aroha to everyone."
