Thieves stole a dead man’s car the day after his body was found alongside his young daughter, who had survived alone at his side for four days.
The body of Hasel Liu, 31, was discovered by police at his Coolangatta unit on the Gold Coast on Good Friday after a relative had not heard from him since Tuesday.
Their two-year-old daughter was found alive on the property and rushed to hospital suffering from dehydration, but was otherwise unharmed.
Neighbors revealed they heard someone inside the empty house on Saturday night before seeing the burglars speed away in the dead man’s black Mazda 3 around 8 p.m.
Queensland police have launched a search for the car but have so far been unable to locate it.
Thieves stole the car of single father Hasel Liu (pictured with his daughter) the day after his body was found on Friday alongside his daughter, who survived alone for up to four days.
Neighbors said Mr. Liu told them Tuesday morning that he had been feeling unwell but they never saw him again.
While his death is not considered suspicious, the cause is still under investigation and a report is being prepared for the coroner.
Twin brother Lucas Marcas described Lui as a “loving and caring” man after arriving home from Sydney on Sunday.
“He is always helping and does everything for other people that he wouldn’t do for himself,” she said. 7news.
Mr Liu’s family moved to Australia from Iraq in search of a better life, but last year he told the ABC he and his daughter had been forced to live without their car due to the rental crisis.
They were able to find permanent housing in the Coolangatta flat after a charity stepped in to help the struggling single father.
It is understood he was his daughter’s sole carer after separating from the girl’s mother, who has since been reunited with the two-year-old.
Despite several patrols and inquiries, the police have not been able to locate the car.
A neighbor of Mr Liu said his daughter was “the most important thing in his world” and, despite not having much, he was proud of his home.
“They didn’t have much, but they had each other and the mother came to visit,” they told the mail.
“He was very proud of the place here, he was always out keeping the garden clean and tidy.”
The house was reportedly filled with children’s toys and the television was still on when police arrived on Friday.
Bouquets of flowers were left outside the apartment block next to a sign reading “Fly high Hasel, you will be missed” in the days after Mr Liu’s death.
