A murder and a desperate search

Surgeons rushed to save the life of Edith Emma Keels who had been brought into the hospital with a bullet in her head in 1915. Worst still, her five week old infant son was missing.
Edith was the wife of sheep farmer Leslie Keels at Onewhero in rural Waikato. In rough country, the nearest neighbour was over a mile away.
On February 10, 1915, Leslie left early to go droving, intending to be gone all day and all the next night.
With Edith was her three children and a woman who helped her.
When Edith did not appear that morning, Miss Hunter went to get her.
She was met with an horrific sight, Edith was unconscious on her bed surrounded by blood.
She had a bullet wound to the head and evidence of being hit heavily.
Two of the children were playing in another room,. But the baby boy, who slept with Edith was nowhere to be seen.
A messenger was sent to Leslie while Edith was taken to hospital.
Edith often slept with the windows open and there was speculation someone had got into the house. But not a soul had heard anything.
The next day it was reported Edith had died without ever regaining consciousness.
By now the area was in an uproar and people were desperate to find the tiny baby.
And now police suspicion had fallen on Leslie’s brother Norman who had left his home in Papakura before the attack and had not been seen since.
A day later he was spotted near an old whare near the Keals home. Police had staked it out and when Norman was sighted but got away.
Astonishingly he then headed back to the house where he had shot Edith and managed to evade the police to leave two letters on the doorstep.
One indicated he could take his own life and the other, addressed to his brother, said to put out a white flag if they wanted him to turn himself in.
White flags were hung from both sides of the house, but Norman never showed.
Norman was well known to police. Bizarrely he had been electrocuted during a storm and had been mentally unwell since.
Two days later Norman was found hiding up a tree by police. When asked about the baby he told the police the body was near the Opuatia Creek.
Norman said he had strangled the baby because it was crying only minutes after he had shot Edith.
He later told police he was intending to kill his brother after his interest in the farm was taken away from him while he was imprisoned in Australia.
In May Norman was found guilty and sentenced to death, which was later commuted to imprisonment.
Edith and her infant son were buried in Paterangi Cemetery in Waipu.
Photo by Danilo Alvesd.​