Baby Ru’s mum: ‘I didn’t do it’
The mother of toddler Baby Ru says she did not kill her son, and wants justice as the police investigation reaches 200 days.
The toddler, who was initially named Ruthless-Empire Souljah Reign Rhind Shephard Wall by his parents, suffered blunt-force trauma on the morning of October 22 last year, when he was taken in an unresponsive state to Hutt Hospital, just days before his second birthday.
More than six months on, no arrests have been made. Police have said three people who were living in the Lower Hutt home at the time – Baby Ru’s mother Storm Wall and couple Dylan Ross and Rosie Morunga – are persons of interest to the investigation.
The officer in charge of the investigation has previously said he did not believe police had “the full truth”.
In her first sit-down interview with media since then, Wall, 22, who is currently living outside Wellington, told Stuff she was not involved in his death.
Wearing all black, with a shirt with her son’s name and date of birth and death, Wall clutched a framed photo of Ru to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably as she spoke about what happened.
She and her baby had been living at the Poole St home for only about two weeks, after being “booted out” of a relative’s home. After failing to find emergency accommodation, she moved in with Ross, who she described as being like a “brother”, and Morunga.
“I thought everything was going well because I was getting my s… together. I had a job, I had all the support, opportunities.”
Wall spoke at length with Stuff about what she claims happened to Ru. For legal reasons, Stuff is not able to report what she alleges happened.
She said that, after the incident, she attempted to carry the toddler but was unable to, so one of the others carried him to the car and then passed him to her. Once in the car, she was still able to feel the little toddler’s heartbeat.
“I tried to do CPR, everything.
“My heart was just sinking more. I was just praying,” Wall said.
Once they arrived at the hospital, a large team of staff attended to the toddler. Wall said she, Ross and Morunga were told to sit outside while they were questioned. She just wanted to be in the same room as Ru, so he could hear her voice, she said.
Within 30 minutes, the staff gave her the devastating news.
“They said, ‘Sorry, but … he hasn’t made it’. They tried to say it in the nicest way, but I screamed the entire hospital down.”
Six months on from Ru’s death, Detective Inspector Nick Pritchard said the three adults known to Ru “continue to be considered persons of interest in relation to this matter”.
Wall said she had been interviewed by police three times, but had not spoken to them since earlier in the year.
She said police had asked about the “time statuses of what occurred”, if she remembered anything from the night prior as well as “what really happened in the morning”.
Asked how she felt about still being a person of interest, Wall said she was not worried. “Because I know I didn’t do it.”
She claimed she had told police the truth, and did not believe there was anything else she had to tell them.
“All I want is justice for my boy, that’s all. It’s just been too long,” she said.
“He was not even 2; he didn’t even live a proper life.
“I really, really want to fight for justice for my son because he deserves it, he deserves more.”
Waiting for police to get back in touch had been hard, she said, but she was “100%” confident they would solve the investigation.
Wall said the last six months had been a “big grieving stage”, and she was receiving therapy to help. She had also started attending a course which allowed her to “express myself a bit more and be a bit more positive”.
She experienced occasional “triggers” that brought back the moments when her son suffered the blunt-force trauma.
She expressed gratitude for the support she had received, particularly from her aunt and cousin, who were looking after her.
Wall said she missed the “cheeky, humble” toddler deeply.
“All I want is justice for my boy, that’s all. It’s just been too long ... He was not even 2, he didn’t live a proper life.”
Storm Wall
“He was just a happy-go-lucky kid. Loved nature, loved water, loved everything. He was very carefree, he would always run up to all the family members.”
As for the future, Wall said she was “going to build myself up again”.
On Monday, Pritchard told Stuff the investigation was ongoing, with three people remaining persons of interest.
“I can’t divulge what persons of interest have told police in their interviews. but we are currently continuing with the investigation with a good-sized team. We’re reviewing thousands of pages of material and conducting further inquiries.
He said that despite the investigation now at more than six months, it was “still in its early days because of the challenges that these types of investigations throw up”.
“We’re not just investigating a homicide, but we're also investigating disposal of evidence and any other matters that come to light during the investigation. We’re keeping an open mind.”
Previously, Pritchard appealed for sightings of a light-coloured Nissan Sedan, registration TE6972 – between the morning of October 22 and the afternoon of October 24, across the Wellington region.
Police are also looking for a hard drive used to record CCTV footage from the property. “The hard -drive police are seeking is a Provision-ISR NVR5-8200PX+ DVR. We urge anyone with any information on the hard-drive, or sightings of the vehicle to get in contact.”
Pritchard said police had searched for the missing items in various locations in Wellington and areas of interest to Wall, Ross and Morunga.