Two weeks after a father and son were killed in a suspicious house fire in Auckland, detectives have no persons of interest.
Detective Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Va’aelua earlier said emergency services responded to the house fire on Murvale Drive, Bucklands Beachabout 2.30am on October 2, finding the home “fully engulfed in flames”.
“I can say the mother of the children and the wife exited the property through the doorway ... The boarder was based downstairs, but I can say that the third survivor, the boy, had to force his way out of the house.”
Jung Sup Lee, 36, and his 11-year-old son Ha-il Lee were found dead inside the home.
Police confirmed to RNZ on Friday there were no persons of interest to the investigation.
In a statement Va’aelua said police continued to appeal to the public for any information that may lead to the identity of the person or persons responsible.
Va'aelua said it was safe to assume the fire was intentionally lit. Photo / Corey Fleming
“The family of the deceased are dealing with their family tragedy being made public and Police are supporting them with the assistance of other agencies.”
He said police were conducting a number of inquiries which are part of the homicide investigation.
“Despite the work done so far, no arrests have been made.
“The team acknowledge there is a lot of work ahead.
“Due to the investigation being ongoing Police were unable to comment further and will provide any updates when we are in a position to do so.”
Last week Va’aelua said fire investigators found accelerant at the scene and the deaths were being treated as a double homicide.
“Our investigations have led us to now confirm that the fire was intentional,” he said.
“We are determined to provide them with answers and bring this to a close so they can try and move forward with their lives.
“It is imperative we find who is responsible for this.”
Police asked who resided in Bucklands Beach, Howick, Sunnyhills, Mellons Bay, Botany Downs, Highland Park who had any CCTV footage between the hours of 10pm on Wednesday October 1 and 5am on Thursday October 2 to get in touch.
Police also wanted any dash cam or Go Pro footage from the same areas and times.
“We want to reiterate that no detail is too small, or irrelevant,” Va’aelua said.
Police have set up an online portal town.nc3.govt.nz for the investigation dubbed Operation Town. Anyone with information can contact police online or call 105 using the reference number 251002/9501.
