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Death of Auckland student who went missing at Piha was self inflicted, Coroner says

Monday, 17 January 2022

Guoquan (Laurence) Wu has been missing since March 10. His family are urging the public for any information on his disappearance.

A coroner has ruled an Auckland student who disappeared in 2019 likely ended his life at West Auckland’s Piha.

Guoquan Wu, 22, also known as Laurence, was reported missing on March 12, 2019, his car was later found in the Piha beach car park, but no sign of Wu was ever found.

Coroner Peter Ryan ruled Wu had died on or about March 10, 2019, from a self-inflicted death.

Laurence Wu was described by his family as
Laurence Wu was described by his family as 'a happy one'.

Wu had been in New Zealand on a student visa and had recently broken up with his girlfriend before going missing, the report into his disappearance stated.

**READ MORE:

* Police say all lines of inquiry exhausted in search for missing Auckland man

* No leads on missing man Laurence Wu despite $200,000 reward

* Family of missing Auckland student Laurence Wu didn't want police to close case

A missing person sign for Guoquan (Laurence) Wu outside his cousin’s home in 2019.
A missing person sign for Guoquan (Laurence) Wu outside his cousin’s home in 2019.

**

He had attended high school in New Zealand and had almost completed his degree in computer science at Auckland University.

Wu’s parents, Zhen Zhou Wu and Gui ting Huang, stand by a sign which in translation reads:
Wu’s parents, Zhen Zhou Wu and Gui ting Huang, stand by a sign which in translation reads: 'Mum and Dad have arrived, please come home soon.'

On March 10, 2019, Wu left his flat in Morningside and drove to a pharmacy where he purchased homeopathic sleeping pills. The chemist later told police the pills were not toxic and would only have made Wu sleepy.

He was last seen at about 1.40pm that day at St Lukes Liquor Centre in Auckland, later that afternoon Wu called his ex-girlfriend and told her he had left a note on his computer for her, and he intended to take his own life. He wouldn’t say where he was.

The coroner’s report stated she told Wu “not to do anything silly”, and contacted some of his friends about the call, but they assured her Wu wouldn’t kill himself.

Wu never returned to his flat, and on March 12, one of his friends reported him missing to police.

A note was later found on his computer which indicated an intention to end his own life. An extensive search was made for Wu following his disappearance, and his family hired a helicopter and boat to help.

Wu has not been seen since March 10, 2019.
Wu has not been seen since March 10, 2019.

His family travelled from China to Auckland to help with the search, returning home at the beginning of May, not knowing if he was dead or alive.

Several reported sightings were made to police, but all proved to be false. In May 2019, his family offered a reward of $200,000 for information leading to Wu being found.

Since March 10, police have said Wu’s bank account has been left untouched.

Wu’s brother Lucas earlier told Stuff his family had faced “the most difficult, toughest and painful times” since Wu's disappearance.

“My parents just want my brother back,” he said.

Ryan noted when Wu disappeared he had been distressed about his break-up and had Googled topics relating to how to take his own life that day.

He said there were two possible accidental death options, including drowning while going for a swim, or falling while climbing Lion Rock.

“In my view, his actions indicated an intention to take his own life and this reduces the probability of either of those scenarios.

“On balance, I consider the weight of evidence compels a finding that Laurence set out to take his own life.”

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