Kyle Whorrall was "dedicated to making a difference", says his mother Carole (left). Photo / Supplied
Kyle Whorrall was "dedicated to making a difference", says his mother Carole (left). Photo / Supplied
US student Kyle Whorrall, 33, died after being attacked while sitting in a bus stop in Meadowbank on April 19.
His mother is in New Zealand and will repatriate his body for a funeral next week.
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with his murder, and the police investigation is ongoing.
The mother of an American student who was killed at an Auckland bus stop says the family will take his body home for a “celebration of his life” next week.
Carole Whorrall travelled to New Zealand from the United States after her son Kyle, 33,was fatally attacked on St Johns Rd on Easter Weekend.
Speaking publicly for the first time since his death, she told the Herald about how she wanted her son to be remembered.
“Kyle was a brilliant, gentle and deeply caring person whose love for the natural world shaped his life and inspired those around him,” she said in a written statement.
“He was passionate about his work and admired greatly by his colleagues and friends of which he had many.
“He was dedicated to making a difference and about to embark on a brilliant career. He was deeply loved and admired by his family.”
Kyle Whorrall was studying a doctorate at the University of Auckland.
Kyle, who was originally from Los Angeles, was in the last stages of a PhD in entomology at the University of Auckland and was based at Landcare Research in St Johns.
On Monday, the Ōrākei Local Board has arranged for a memorial service at St Johns Bush where a pōhutukawa will be planted to honour Kyle.
His mother will fly home to California on Monday evening and said the family planned to hold his funeral there.
“There have been a number of memorials here in New Zealand by friends, colleagues and those who never knew him but wished to celebrate his life,” she said.
“We are deeply moved by the kindness and concern of everyone here in New Zealand.”
A family friend has set up a crowdfunding page to help the family cover the costs of their travel, the funeral and other expenses. So far, $51,000 has been raised towards a goal of $60,000.
“The circumstances of Kyle’s death have introduced unexpected and uniquely challenging obstacles to his family who must now travel thousands of miles to deal with this horrible tragedy,” said the organiser of the fundraiser.
A photographer friend of the flat came by to take photos, commemorating his “beautiful” space and capturing his uniqueness.
Photographs showed a room crammed with plant life on every surface, a sprawling collection of stuffed animals, US National Park posters, and natural artefacts. Display cases of insects filled one corner of the room.
Kyle Whorrall's bedroom at his flat in St Johns, Auckland. Photo / John Rata
Police investigation
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with Kyle’s murder and aggravated robbery and a 32-year-old woman has been charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder.
Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said there had been no further arrests or charges in the homicide investigation but search warrants had been executed in the past few days. Police were following “positive lines of inquiry”, he told the Herald.
Police had also found the occupants of a silver Mitsubishi Grandis they were seeking last week, saying that they could hold information about why Kyle was killed.
