5 Jul 2024

Police speaking to two people over death of 4-year-old Alestra Kepa-Hati

2:22 pm on 5 July 2024
Auckland, New Zealand - December 24, 2020: Close up of a New Zealand police officer's uniform and badge

Photo: 123RF

Northland Police are speaking with two people of interest as they investigate the unexplained death of a toddler in 2015.

Police reignited their investigation into the death of 4-year-old girl Alestra Kepa-Hati this week, almost 9 years after she died.

"We have a grieving whānau who need closure for the death of their loved one," Detective Senior Sergeant Christian Fouhy said in a statement.

"We know there are people in our community who know what happened to Alestra."

He said the historic investigation was steady making progress, with officers locating two people of interest as they gathered information about the circumstances leading to the child's death.

Alestra Kepa-Hati was living with caregivers in rural Kaikohe when she died in October 2015.

Police asked anyone who sighted Kepa-Hati or had any involvement with her or her two younger siblings to come forward.

"Any piece of information - no matter how small, how old, or seemingly insignificant - could be the key piece of the puzzle we need to bring this case to a resolution," Fouhy said.