Missing boy: Police ponder best way to recover sunken car

Missing 11 year old Mike Zhao-Beckenridge.

A decision, by police looking for a missing 11-year-old boy, was still being made on how to extract a vehicle from the bottom of a Southland bay.

Michael Zhao-Beckenridge disappeared from his Invercargill school when his estranged stepfather John Beckenridge picked him up on March 13.

At the time Mr Beckenridge had a parental order in place against him.

Police had been searching Curio Bay in Southland since pieces of Mr Beckenridge's car washed up last week.

An underwater camera had earlier pinpointed where the dark blue Volkswagen Touareg was lying, however conditions have been too rough to bring it onshore.

Today a police spokesman said police were still working out how to extract the vehicle.
"There are a lot of factors that have to be taken into account."

Meanwhile, police were continuing to conduct land searches and inquiries into where the pair might be, since there was no indication that they were not safe, he said.

Michael left James Hargest College's junior campus during a lunch break with his stepfather.

The school's principal Andrew Wood said it was "perfectly possible" for a student to leave the school unnoticed.

Mr Beckenridge is also known as John Robert Lundh, Knut Goran Roland Lundh or John Bradford.

Michael is of solid build and of Asian descent. Mr Beckenridge is 1.75m in height, of medium build and of Swedish descent.

Anyone with information that might assist in locating the pair should contact the Southern District Command Centre on 03 471 5002.
Information can also be provided anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.