Lachie Jones was found dead in an oxidation pond 1.2km from his home on January 29, 2019, and police almost immediately determined it to be a tragic drowning.
A subsequent reinvestigation came to the same conclusion, but the boy’s father Paul Jones has repeatedly rubbished that opinion and been openly critical of the police’s conduct.
In June, he received some vindication when Coroner Alexander Ho released his findings following an inquest which lasted several weeks at the Invercargill District Court.
The coroner described the police’s initial inquiry as "a shambles, which could, and should, have been avoided".
He directed a "full and fresh investigation" and sought a progress report, scheduled for last Friday.
A police spokeswoman told the Otago Daily Times what was now the third investigation of the matter was "near completion" and an update had been provided to the coroner’s office.
As Coroner Ho recommended, the review had been led by senior officers from outside the region.
Police confirmed Detective Inspector Darrell Harpur, from the Waikato region, headed the team with oversight from Detective Superintendent Ross McKay, who was also based in the North Island and had recently been involved with the Tom Phillips case.
Mr Jones said he remained convinced there was foul play involved in his son’s death and he was scathing when it came to the new investigation team.
He described Det Insp Harpur as "just another cover-up guy".
Mr Jones said the lengthy inquest solidified his view on the police’s attitude to Lachie’s death.
"[It] was meant to be about what honestly happened to my son, but the police were never there for that.
"They were there just there to cover their own arse," he said.
"The whole inquest was just a debacle."
Until that was done, he understood the final report would not be forwarded to the coroner.
Much of last year’s hearing centred on the evidence of Lachie’s mother Michelle Officer and his then 16-year-old half-brother Jonathan Scott, who were among the last people to see the boy alive and spent substantial periods in the witness box.
While the coroner was satisfied there was nothing that pointed to their direct involvement in Lachie’s death, he said he was unconvinced Ms Officer told the whole truth during the inquiry, and pointed out "troubling" aspects of Mr Scott’s testimony.
"There was an approximately two-hour window between [the final] sighting and when Lachie was found in the pond.
"That is ample time for harm to befall: a push into the pond or a deliberate holding underwater of him would take only seconds.
"Investigating police made no attempt to consider, investigate or work to exclude this possibility," Coroner Ho wrote in his 162-page findings.
"I am not convinced that we have heard the entire truth about the events of 29 January, 2019."
A spokeswoman said the coroner was on leave until next week and there would be no update on the case until then.
Coroner Ho earlier stressed the file remained open and this month’s update from police would determine the next stage in the process.
Possible actions included closing the case, directing further hearings and/or issuing further findings, he said.
After a campaign for his son lasting nearly seven years, Mr Jones said he had bled all his savings dry.
But it was the emotional toll he was sure would be his undoing.
"It’ll get me one day, mate," Mr Jones said.
"Trust me, it will eventually get me one day."
