Ninety days after she was last heard from, Jamie Kaiwai's family remain convinced foul play was involved in her disappearance.
They are desperate for details of the Gisborne mum's final movements after she was last seen in October 2019.
Mystery surrounds what happened to Jamie but her car was found at Tolaga Bay on the East Coast, with conflicting eye witness accounts adding to the confusion.
Their persistence in seeking the truth has been unwavering, tracking locations she visited for the five months before she was reported missing, assisting police in gaining access to her phone records and scouring the area around where her vehicle was for any hints of what went wrong.
Jamie's first cousin, the family's spokesperson, Jonique Oli-Alainu'uese, told Newshub the pair were "like sisters", growing up together with birthdays just a couple of days apart.
"She's loved by everyone, happy, positive. She appreciated the simple things in life."
She says as a family, people close to Jamie "aren't blind" or want to hide that she had mental health issues but believe this has swayed the handling of the investigation.
"It’s the mental health issues that immediately convinced police that it was suicide," she said.
"Their lack of thorough investigation to rule out foul play has cost my family precious time and prolonged despair."
Details of the 27-year-old's life, comparison to media coverage of missing tourists and criticism of police efforts to find Jamie has ignited fierce commentary.
A Facebook post made by Oli-Alainu'uese asked for the same compassion and focus as was given to British backpacker Grace Millane.
"Does being a young Māori mother make her less deserving of the same attention that as a nation, we give to the likes of Grace Millane?"
She says the post, made 86 days after Jamie disappeared, was not made in malice or about attacking police, but more saying "I would really like more help from them" and "I really would like to not feel dismissed".
Oli-Alainu'uese says she and others close to her are hurting and resonated with a quote made by the mother of missing woman Jessica Boyce, who police believe was a homicide victim.
"She said 'we don't know whether to grieve or whether to wait'. That was such a short and simple phrase, that really motivated me, I can't let that be for Jamie or my family.
"I need to make sure that if I'm going home without Jamie that I have done everything in my power to bring her home."
Two days before Jamie disappeared, she called her cousin "petrified of someone" and needing a place to live.
"She was afraid on the last phone call that she made to me. She didn't go into much detail, she didn't go into too much detail, but she was upset," Oli-Alainu'uese said.
"She wanted to come and live with me, when she went missing, I was thinking 'what is happening here'. It wasn't something that she was talking about happening in the future, it was something she wanted fairly soon."
Loved ones enlisted a matakite (psychic) who have further lead family to believe Jamie has been hurt, one speculating she suffered "horrific head injuries" and "is wrapped in a blue tarpaulin".
She says Jamie was expecting a baby. Her son, who is about to turn five, is being looked after by his dad.
"Had Jamie committed suicide, I would be able to accept that if police could show me that they did the proper investigation to prove they don't think it's suspicious."
Detective Daniel Kirk from Gisborne Police told Newshub that despite efforts led by the Criminal Investigation Branch their hands are now tied, obligated to work with the evidence they have gathered over the ninety-day period.
"While Police understand her family and friends' significant frustration with all the unanswered questions regarding her disappearance, unfortunately, some of the information that's being circulated is inconsistent with the facts gathered through our investigation."
While searching for clues, police spoke with relatives and close friends to try and piece together relevant details.
It is currently being reviewed by a senior investigator.
Police want to hear from anyone who has any information that may assist in following credible lines of enquiry.
If you have any information contact police on 105 quoting job number 191014/3116.
