Revealing the Text Mike Zhao-Beckenridge Sent His Mother Before Disappearing with Stepdad John Beckenridge
Key Highlights :
Eight years ago, Mike Zhao-Beckenridge and his stepfather John Beckenridge vanished from Invercargill, New Zealand, in 2015. Before they disappeared, Mike sent his mother Fiona Lu a text saying “you don’t deserve my love”. This shocking revelation has been recently revealed in an inquiry into the pair’s disappearance and possible death.
The story began in 2006, when Mike’s mother Fiona Lu met John Beckenridge. The two moved to Lake Hayes, about 15km east of Queenstown, where Chinese-born Mike was looked after by Ms Lu’s parents. However, their relationship broke down and Ms Lu moved with Mike and her new partner to Invercargill in 2014.
On March 13, 2015, John Beckenridge picked the then-11-year-old Mike up from his Invercargill school. The pair were quickly reported missing to police and their fingerprints were found at a campsite in nearby Haldane Estuary. On March 22, personal items belonging to Mike and Mr Beckenridge, including clothes and car parts, were found washed ashore in the Curio Bay area. The car Mr Beckenridge was driving was found submerged soon after at the bottom of an 88-metre cliff.
Mike’s mother, Fiona Lu, has repeatedly said international sightings of the pair and the mysterious circumstances of their disappearance, have led her to ‘firmly believe’ they are still alive. Some of the last words Ms Lu heard from Mike came in the form of scathing messages following their move to Invercargill. One read: “You do not deserve to be my mum or to be called Fiona and you certainly do not deserve my love. From Mike.”
Five emails from February, 2015, read: “How my life is s***. I hate my mom in fact she is not even my mom she f***ed my life up so bad I hate her I have no love for [her]. I hope she dies painfully. I do not want to be here answer Dad please I am begging I cry everyday for u I miss u so much Dad. Remember u said u will kill. Well me too. Find me dad and u said we can do that thing. I have so much to ask u dad but mum never will never let me talk to u I wanna kill myself from Mike much love to u.”
Mr Beckenridge’s car was retrieved from the Curio Bay cliff almost two months after they went missing on May 6. Private investigator Mark Templeman told a recent inquiry the family believe Mike and Mr Beckenridge faked their deaths and used a yacht to travel overseas with new identities. He flagged several international sightings of the pair and the fact they camped before supposedly driving off the cliff as evidence they could be alive.
If alive, Mike would now be 18 years old. The inquiry into the pair’s disappearance concluded in late June, with the investigator noting it would be ‘dangerous’ to assume they are dead. Ms Lu has continued to believe they are still alive and have fled the country on a yacht to live with new identities overseas.
The text message Mike sent to his mother moments before he and Mr Beckenridge vanished is a shocking reminder of the complexity of the case. It is a reminder that even after eight years, the mystery of Mike Zhao-Beckenridge and John Beckenridge’s disappearance remains unsolved.
