Killed woman talks of leaving and 'dreamt big things' for daughter Jojo, says cousin

Juwairiyah Kalim.

Relatives of a woman and her 3-year-old daughter whose bodies were found in Takapuna on Saturday say she "dreamt big things" for her little girl and had talked of leaving to settle down with another man.

And police have revealed that the preschooler's father had a protection order taken out against him by his estranged wife, meaning any attempts by him to seek information about the missing pair after their deaths would have been denied.

Watch: Cold case: Pair killed at home

The skeletal remains of Mubarek Yusef, known as Pakeeza Faizal, and her daughter, Juwairiyah, known as Jojo, were found in a creek under a Takapuna overbridge on Saturday. A 40-year-old Auckland panelbeater has been charged with murdering the pair between December 2006 and early 2007 in a Howick home where the victims were living. He remains in custody.

A 64-year-old man charged with being an accessory to the murders was released on bail yesterday. Their names are suppressed.

Ms Faizal would have been aged about 25 when she died. Her paternal uncle, who did not want to be named, said that in late 2006, after her marriage to Jojo's father Faizal Kalim had dissolved, contact with his niece stopped.

"Whatever happened must have happened quick because otherwise she would have phoned me for help," he said.

The family, including Mr Kalim, said they never stopped looking for the pair, but were told differing stories about her whereabouts - that she had moved to the North Shore, Christchurch and Australia with a new partner, and wanted to forget her past.

They were not reported missing until January 2013 when Ms Faizal's mother Rozina Ramzan contacted police.

Police said a protection order had been issued against Mr Kalim by his estranged wife and any requests to police for information about the missing pair's whereabouts would have been denied to him.

"Jojo's father told police that he had asked his lawyer to 'help' during 2008/2009 and believed that she had spoken to police," a Manukau police spokeswoman said.

"The context of asking for 'help' at that time was to find an address for Pakeeza so that she could be served family court documents.

"There were no concerns for their safety expressed in any communication between Jojo's dad and anyone else at that time."

Ms Faizal's cousin, Fazmina Mohammed, said the pair grew up together in Fiji and then South Auckland after both families moved here in the mid-1990s.

The last time she met her cousin was with Mr Kalim and Jojo at Sylvia Park shopping centre in February 2006.

"She was really ambitious and dreamt big things for Jojo, Mrs Mohammed said.

"She used to [say] 'I am going to settle down with a man and leave everything and forget everyone and give Jojo a really good life' so it really made sense at the time."