Mother of child killed seriously injured in Southland crash

Another misfortune has struck a Southland woman whose son was murdered two years ago.

The only victim of a car accident in Otautau on Sunday was Amy King, mother of Hunter MacIntosh, a 9-year-old murder victim.

Dunedin Hospital confirmed yesterday afternoon that King remained in intensive care following the incident, which occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday.

Police were not called about the incident, which involved a single vehicle and injured only King, although St John and a nearby doctor attended.

A spokeswoman for St John said two ambulances attended after receiving an alert at 10:03 a.m. Sunday, and the emergency rescue helicopter was summoned from Dunedin.

A single patient was flown to Dunedin in serious condition, although the extent of her injuries was not disclosed.

Otautau residents said they were shocked by the latest misfortune to befall King and his family, after their son was killed in October 2019 by then-nanny and family friend of 15 years, Daniel Cameron.

Otautau Community Board Chairman Andre Bekhuis said he learned about the latest incident yesterday.

“It’s a huge impact for everyone locally. We can only wish him all the best as a community for a speedy recovery.”

Although Bekhuis did not personally know King, a teacher at the Otautau school, she said she was held in “high regard” locally.

“She is a very charming person, and it is terrible that it happens.”

He said that Otautau was a tight-knit community, and he trusted that people would “go the extra mile” and do what they could to support the family.

Family members were believed to support her in Dunedin.

On October 30, 2019, King and his partner returned from playing pool with the parents of the boy who, later that night, had murdered their son Hunter.

Daniel Cameron had babysat for Hunter on at least 10 previous occasions, but on the night in question something led him to stab the 9-year-old boy to death.

During the court case that followed, King said he had returned home to find his son dead on the floor of his bedroom, with a knife sticking out of his stomach.

After Cameron was sentenced to at least 11 years for the murder of her son, King said it “barely worked.”

“Thinking every minute of every day since then about how horrible he died, how scared he would have been of Daniel, how painful and terrifying his last moments were.”

She said she struggled to understand that the killer was texting her during the period when he murdered her son.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said King had had a son, who is now one year old, and he stayed with his partner in Otautau.

“She is a strong woman, and everyone is behind her little family at this difficult time.”