Baby Ru homicide case

The story so far

A coroner ruled that Oranga Tamariki and police failed to protect a 10-month-old boy who was killed by his father in July, despite repeated warnings and pleas from his mother and grandparents.^{2 Sep 2025} Separately, a Lower Hutt toddler died at Hutt Hospital in October 2023 after severe blunt force trauma, and police said in September 2025 they had taken a significant step in the investigation.^{1, 21 Oct 2025} Investigators have been assessing gathered evidence to determine criminal culpability.^{1 Oct 2025} No arrests have been made in the toddler's case, and the Crown Solicitor is deciding on potential criminal charges.^{21 Oct 2025}

Latest

On the eve of the second anniversary of the toddler's death, police appealed to those responsible to come forward.^{21 Oct 2025} No arrests had been made as of that appeal.^{21 Oct 2025}

What's next

The Crown Solicitor is deciding whether to lay criminal charges in the toddler's case.^{21 Oct 2025}

Key moments

1. 2 Sep 2025Coroner finds Oranga Tamariki and police failed to protect 10-month-old boy
2. 1 Oct 2025Police report significant step in Lower Hutt toddler homicide investigation
3. 21 Oct 2025Police appeal for information on second anniversary of toddler's death
4. 21 Oct 2025No arrests made; Crown Solicitor deciding on possible charges

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.