More questions have been raised after a twist in the disappearance of John and Mike Beckenridge in 2015.
The pair disappeared after John Beckenridge broke a court order and took his 11-year-old stepson from his Invercargill school.
A coronal hearing into the case adjourned in 2023 - but has resumed with five new witnesses.
A friend allegedly told people they'd assisted them, and that they're alive.
Senior NZ Herald crime reporter, Anna Leask, says police were made aware of the story mid-last year.
"I think that's one of the big questions that will be asked - why did it come out when it did?"
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