The toddler allegedly murdered in Auckland last month is a nephew of one of New Zealand's most violent and notorious killers, the Herald can reveal.
Malcolm Robert Bell died on June 29 after he suffered suspected non-accidental injuries.
The 16-month-old was rushed to Starship Hospital from a central Auckland apartment with serious injuries.
He died six days later.
Starship doctors believed his injuries had been inflicted by another person and notified police.
Following an intensive investigation, a 51-year-old man was been charged with his murder.
The Herald can now reveal Malcolm's maternal uncle is William Dwane Bell, who murdered three people during a drug-fuelled robbery at the Mt Wellington Panmure RSA in December 2001.
Bell, 41, is the older brother of Malcolm's mother Savanna Bell, 29.
Their father is Michael Bell - but they have different mothers.
Their familial connection was confirmed by several sources close to the family, a police source and the siblings' birth certificates obtained by the Herald.
Savanna Bell - who had five children removed from her care by Child Youth and Family, now Oranga Tamariki, before Malcolm died - has refused to speak to the Herald.
Her half-brother became one of the worst murderers in New Zealand history when he callously killed three people during a robbery at the RSA on December 8, 2001.
Wayne Johnson, 56, was killed by Bell, who also beat William Absolum, 63, Mary Hobson, 44, to death.
In a final horrifying act, Bell also attacked Susan Couch, who worked part-time doing the club's accounts.
She survived - just.
Bell left the mother-of-one for dead with broken arms and severe head injuries that caused a stroke.
She lost about 80 per cent of her blood and ambulance officers later said she came as close to dying as she could get.
READ MORE: Savage vengeance at the RSA
Bell knew all of his victims - two months earlier he was kicked out of the RSA while on two weeks' work experience.
The day after the mass killing the Herald headline said "Four bludgeoned for $12,000".
Bell bought a copy, read it, folded it and kept it in the boot of his car as a souvenir.
A court would later hear that Bell started planning the RSA robbery when he was released from prison in July 2001.
He thought he would bag upwards of $50,000 in cash.
Police revealed Bell spent 15 minutes robbing the place of its cash and cigarettes.
He then spent half an hour bashing his victims, using the butt of his gun like the head of an axe.
That night Bell checked into a room at a hotel near Auckland Airport, feasting on room service and watching videos with his then girlfriend.
In December 2002 after a high-profile trial in the High Court at Auckland, Bell and his co-accused Darnell Tupe were convicted.
Tupe, the getaway driver, was found guilty of three charges of manslaughter and one of aggravated robbery.
Bell was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 33 years.
At the time it was the longest minimum non-parole period imposed by a court in New Zealand legal history.
It was later reduced to 30 years on appeal.
Bell has continued to hit the headlines from prison.
In 2017 he was charged after he was caught with a pornographic DVD movie in his cell at Auckland Prison at Paremoremo.
The Herald on Sunday revealed that the DVD was found in Bell's cell during a routine search.
It is understood he had been watching the pornographic movie on a player loaned to him by Corrections.