Makere Edmonds-Piripi was kidnapped and sexually assaulted as schoolgirl by a group of men and held for 3 days.
Two women claim they were abducted and sexually assaulted as schoolgirls by four men in a van in 2004.
They feel police let them down by failing to find enough evidence to catch their kidnappers.
Police have reopened the case and say additional inquiries will be completed as soon as practicably possible.
WARNING: Contains graphic content of sexual assault
Police are reopening a cold case from 2004 when two Auckland schoolgirls claimed they were kidnapped and sexually assaulted in a van by four men over three days, the Herald can reveal.
Makere Edmonds-Piripi was one of those girls. She told the Herald the crime changed her forever: she lives in fear and hasn’t left her house in three years.
The 36-year-old former private investigator lives close to Auckland Hospital because it makes her feel safe when she is triggered by people-movers and men in groups of four.
She relies on her partner, Vilo, and four paid carers to help with her anxiety 24 hours a day.
“The worst thing is no one believed us,” she told the Herald.
“I am disappointed with the police. They were meant to protect us and keep us safe. We relied on them to get justice, and they failed us.”
Makere Edmonds-Piripi lives close to Auckland Hospital because she lives in fear and it makes her feel safe. Photo / Michael Craig
‘Terrified the whole time’: Schoolgirls snatched
Edmonds-Piripi told the Herald she and her friend Sophie* were on their way home after spending time with friends at Myers Park on December 4, 2004 when their devastation began.
As the girls took a shortcut from the town hall to Aotea Square they say they noticed a silver van with men in it.
“They yelled at us to jump into their van. We told them to f*** off and leave us alone and carried on walking,” Sophie said.
“Then they grabbed us and chucked us into the van and drove off.”
Sophie claims she was forced to perform oral sex on two men.
“I had never had sex before. I didn’t know what I was doing, I was only 14. The men were forceful, intimidating and called us ‘whores’. We were terrified the whole time.”
Makere Edmonds-Piripi told the Herald she was 15 when she and her friend were abducted and sexually assaulted by four men. Photo / Supplied
The friends say for three days they had no water or food. They claim the men demanded oral sex and forced them to drink urine and sperm from a white plastic mug.
Edmonds-Piripi said when they tried to refuse, they were beaten and strangled.
She also claims she was sexually abused multiple times with a metal object.
Makere Edmonds-Piripi says when she was 15 years old she had to perform oral sex on four men who kidnapped her. Photo / Supplied
“I was in the back row of the van and Sophie was in the middle. They used a metal pole. It hurt a lot, I tried to block the pain. I was numb ... the only thing I could think about was trying to escape.”
She claims her friend was beaten for crying and screaming too much and the kidnappers threatened to kill her and dump her body at the Mt Eden lookout - but when they arrived at the lookout a group of tourists scuppered their plans.
“They talked about getting rid of Sophie so I observed everything ... every time Sophie banged on the window screaming for help, she would be punched ... We were warned if we asked the public for help, they would kill us,” Edmonds-Piripi said.
She said on the third day - as the van drove through Henderson in West Auckland - they were ready to make their bid for freedom.
‘We have to get out of here’
“I thought ‘we have to get out of here’ and I yelled, ‘Sophie get out now!’ said Edmonds-Piripi.
“I was exhausted and frightened but my survival instincts kicked in ... I lunged through the gap in the middle of the van, unlocked it and rolled out. Sophie was right behind me.
“A man tried to grab our legs ... I punched and kicked and screamed ‘Help, help’ the whole street could hear. Thankfully a man in the first house opened the door and said, ‘get in here, get in here,’” Edmonds-Piripi says.
She said their assailants waited outside the house for a few threatening minutes before driving away.
Makere Edmonds-Piripi claims she was 15 when she and her friend Sophie, 14 escaped their kidnappers. Photo / Michael Craig
Sophie told the Herald she wants to find the man who took them in and comforted them, and called the police that day.
“I have never forgotten him. The house was cream, he had a phone on the wall and a piano. I remember sitting on his couch and holding Makere’s hand.
“I am still dealing with the fact I could be dead. Thank goodness Makere had the strength to save us. The last thing the man said to the police was ‘look after these girls,’” Sophie said.
‘How could we have consented?’
At least one man was questioned by police at the time - yet ultimately all walked free.
DNA was gathered, and a person’s name was noted in the police file, but no charges were laid.
The friends claim police told them there was insufficient evidence to prosecute at the time.
“The police told us one of the men said the sex was consensual,” said Edmonds-Piripi.
“That’s bull**** we were under-aged. I had lacerations in my vagina and there was DNA found in the van,” she claimed.
“We were under-aged schoolgirls – how could we have consented? They didn’t bother to investigate any further to make an arrest ... they believed the men and let them walk free,” said Edmonds-Piripi.
The Herald sent questions to police to find out why the four men weren’t charged when there was DNA and an apparent witness.
Police said the case is complex and the file is being reviewed.
“Some additional inquiries will be completed as soon as practicably possible,” police said in a statement.
“As police are again looking into this investigation it is inappropriate to comment further.”
Makere Edmonds-Piripi said she is angry there was no police prosecution after her alleged violation. Photo / Supplied
A new development
The friends say their harrowing ordeal changed them forever – neither of them ever returned to school.
Sophie masked her pain with drugs, and Edmonds–Piripi joined the Army, then became a private investigator. She fell in love, set up a home with her partner Vilo and opened a beauty business in Parnell.
Then her life was upended again in 2016 by an unexpected visit at home from a detective who told her there was a new development, and he wanted to re-open the case.
“I was doing okay up till then,” she said. “He told me there was new DNA technology, and said we could save this from happening to other women.”
Police told the Herald they discovered “a DNA hit” in June 2016 which led to that approach. “There was updated DNA evidence, relating to a person whose name was already on the file and had previously been spoken to by police,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.
But reading the police file at that time was too painful for Edmonds-Piripi, who felt too panicked and vulnerable to pursue it.
Makere Edmonds-Piripi and her partner, Vilo. They met after her alleged kidnap and sexual assault when she was 15 years old. Photo / Supplied
The detective later contacted Sophie as well – but she too wasn’t ready.
“He was persistent, but it was too much for me and I wasn’t ready. I was a meth user and getting off drugs, so I wasn’t in a good space,“ Sophie said.
A sense of relief
In early September this year, a breakthrough: the friends jointly told police they were ready to assist with investigations.
Edmonds-Piripi claims the police are now planning to interview witnesses related to their abduction.
The Herald has approached police for further comment.
“I feel a sense of relief the case is being re-opened and we are finally being listened to,” said Edmonds-Piripi.
“We have suffered too much and now we’re ready for answers and closure. We want justice and we need to get on with our lives,” she said.
Makere Edmonds-Piripi during her days in the army. Picture supplied
The women say they will never forget the kindness of the stranger who rescued them. Police have confirmed that as part of their review, they are working to identify him.
At the same time, the friends say they will never forgive the kidnappers who ruined their lives and stole their innocence.
“We were schoolgirls and you ruined our lives. We hope you haven’t done this to anyone else and you will be held accountable for all the malicious things you have done to us. We hope you all rot in hell.”
Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland-based investigative journalist who won Best Documentary at the Voyager Media Awards in 2022. She worked for the Herald on Sunday from 2007-2011 and rejoined the Herald in 2016 after working as an award-winning current affairs producer at TVNZ’s 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.
