Disappearance of John Beckenridge and Mike Zhao-Beckenridge

On 13 March 2015, Swedish-born New Zealander John Beckenridge breached a parenting order and picked up his 11-year old step son Mike Zhao-Beckenridge from a school in Invercargill. Over the following week they were spotted in the Catlins area of New Zealand, southeast of Invercargill. Beckenridge's car was later found at the bottom of sheer cliffs near Curio Bay. Their bodies have never been found.

Prior to Disappearance
John Beckenridge met Mike’s mother, Fiona Lu, in 2006 whilst working in Afghanistan. They later moved to Queenstown, New Zealand, where they resided for many years. Their relationship broke down in 2014, when Fiona moved to Invercargill for a hairdressing course and met her new partner, Peter Russell. In February 2015, Fiona won full custody of her son, who had been living with John in Lake Hayes Estate at the time of the divorce. In the weeks leading up to the pairs disappearance, Mike sent a series of e-mails to John that mentioned self-harm and pleaded to be reunited with his stepfather.

Disappearance
On March 13, 2015 John Beckenridge picked up Mike from James Hargest College at about lunchtime. The pair were spotted driving across the Catlins area on Wednesday. On March 16 a farmer spotted the pair in Beckenridge's car on his property. The farmer believed they had spent the night sleeping in it. Another witness told officers at the Balclutha police station that they had seen them at a camping site near the Haldane Estuary on March 19. On March 20, Mike Beckenridge's dark blue 4WD Volkswagen Touareg went off a 88 m cliff near Curio Bay. Six weeks later police dragged the wrecked vehicle from the water. Their bodies have never been found.