Unsolved: the murder mysteries of 2005

Mona Morriss was found dead in her Marton flat a year ago on Thursday

At least four people in New Zealand believe they got away with murder last year.

One of them brutally attacked an 83-year-old woman before stabbing her to death in her own home.

Another set a house on fire in an attempt to destroy a South Waikato man's corpse.

A third is an assassin, hired to make a hit on a man with links to the criminal underworld.

The fourth killed a young Auckland woman in a park - but police will still not reveal exactly how she died.

These unknown killers have been hunted by dozens of experienced police officers who have put hundreds of hours into the investigations.

The high-profile crimes have attracted widespread publicity and community outrage, but to date the killers remain uncaught.

In all of the cases police believe the key to solving the crime lies with the public and they plead for anyone with information to come forward.

Among 2005's outstanding cases:

Mona Morriss

The 83-year-old was found dead in her Marton flat by a relative on January 5. She had been brutally attacked and died of stab wounds.

Detective Sergeant Tim Smith said three investigators remain on the case full time, and other staff are brought in for inquiries when and as required.

"From an early stage the investigation was identified as not having any early breakthroughs and being a difficult investigation. It has required an enormous amount of work from a very dedicated team of investigators throughout the year."

Mr Smith said there was a particular focus within the inquiry but police remained open-minded as new information became available.

"I am still very confident that this brutal and cowardly murder of Mrs Morriss will be solved.

Mrs Morriss' crochet handbag and purse have never been found.

Katrina Jefferies

The officer in charge of the Katrina Jefferies investigation, Detective Senior Sergeant Gerry Whitley, remains confident a killer will be caught, but he needs the public's help.

Ms Jefferies' body was found in the Waikowhai Reserve at Hillsborough, Auckland, on July 12. The young mother had last been seen by her mother at their home in Whitmore Rd, Mt Roskill, two nights before.

She suffered injuries to her upper chest but police have not revealed the cause of death.

Mr Whitley said a team of 15 officers are still on the case.

"We have still got quiet a bit of work to go through and we are getting new leads and things to make inquiries in all the time.

"We are still missing a lot of the pieces of the puzzle and we haven't received all our results back from ESR [the Crown's forensic science agency].

"It's just proved what we thought it was going to be, a very long enquiry.

"I think we have got a lot of work to do in trying to sort out what occurred, where it has occurred and who was involved."

Tam Yam Ah

Police made progress in the Tam Yam Ah homicide when they discovered that a hired assassin was sent from Wellington to kill the Auckland man on July 7. Tam was murdered over illegal dealings, possibly drugs.

The triad enforcer was involved in a number of illegal business dealings and the motive for his murder lies within his criminal world. He was involved in extortion and collected money, sometimes from term loans, and was said to be dealing in poor-quality drugs.

Since his murder there have been low-key rumblings in the criminal community from those who want to take over his illegal activities.

"People are interested to find Mr Tam's assets and some people had claims against him that he owed them things, and obviously some of his business rivals are keen to see whether they could annex parts of his operations," says inquiry head Detective Inspector Bernie Hollewand.

There had been "verbal disputes" but no criminal acts as a result.

"[Tam] obtained money from a number of sources and since his demise others have thought they could as well do with the proceeds ... so they've tried to find out what businesses he was in."

Mr Hollewand said police continued to follow leads and information and eliminate people from the inquiry.

"We're going to continue to exhaust the lines of inquiry that develop. Some weeks we have one or two people working on it.

"Other weeks we might have 10 people working on it."

Stephen George

Waikato police say they believe the murder of Stephen George early in October could be linked to drugs.

The 35-year-old's Tirohanga house was found ablaze by neighbours at 4.15am on Sunday, October 9. His charred body was found inside.

His burned-out car was found two days later near Mangakino with a pair of mis-matched socks inside.

Mr George was last seen at a friend's address at 1.15am and had been drinking in Kihikihi at the Star Tavern before that.

It is understood Mr George was involved in the cultivation and supply of cannabis to people in the Te Awamutu and Kihikihi areas.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Loper said police wanted to hear from anyone who had dealings with Mr George before he died.

"We know that some people may be reluctant to come forward and talk to us, but we appeal to those people to help us bring closure to Stephen George's death.

"He has a family who desperately want some answers as to how their son, husband and brother died."

Police are working through a list of people who are of interest, but are keeping an open mind as to who may have been responsible for the death.

They believe at least two people were involved.

Cold case reopened: Kevin O'Loughlin

In June, Nelson police reopened this historic murder inquiry following advances in technology which gave them a DNA profile of the killer.

The 30-year-old father was stabbed in Nelson in 1993 outside Dick Smith Electronics.

 

A LITANY OF TRAGEDIES

Among last year's high-profile killings:

* April: Nancy Peterson found dead in The Warehouse carpark in New Lynn. Her lover, Fenglin Li, committed for trial.

* May: Feilding couple Edward Henry James Ferguson, 73, and Margaret Teresa Waldin, 76, found dead in flat. David Konia faces trial this year.

* June: Gang member Dwayne Andre Wilson shot dead at Waingaro. Fugitive Kim Smith arrested.

* September: German backpacker Birgit Brauer murdered. Michael Scott Wallace to reappear in court this year.

* October: Toni-Anne Nathan and Mikaere O'Sullivan murdered under Wairoa River bridge at Te Puna. Anthony Paul Doyle, 40, of Rotorua due back in court this year.

* November: Kevan Newman, 65, stabbed to death in Henderson street. Martin Lyall, 34, arrested, undergoing mental assessment.

* December: Stanley Victor Wells, 41, died in Whangerei Hospital from massive head injuries. Two people aged 16 and 18 arrested.