Police are searching for the husband of a woman whose body was found wrapped in plastic near Sydney airport on Monday, and fear a “third party” may be involved in the case.
Homicide squad detectives investigating the discovery of the body in Botany identified the victim as Zhuojun “Sally” Li and appealed for information to locate her husband, Jai-Bao “Rex” Chen, saying they held “grave concerns for his welfare”.
Zhuojun, 33, was reported missing to Parramatta police area command earlier this month after her mother was unable to reach her, NSW police said in a statement on Saturday.
Det Supt Danny Doherty said on Saturday that her family were devastated by the death.
The crime scene, and the involvement of a vehicle with no links to the couple in the dumping of Zhuojun’s body, had led police to believe someone may have harmed the couple, Doherty said.
The car involved in transporting and dumping the body was seized, but police had not yet not spoken to the driver, the vehicle’s owner or anyone connected to the car.
Police said they suspected Zhuojun’s body was dumped nine days before it was found.
“As the investigation unfolds – it seems to be on an hourly basis – we have a strong line of inquiry or investigative theory that there’s a third party involved,” Doherty said.
The couple lived in Greenacre and had no history of family violence.
Zhuojun had no previous involvement with police, and while Jai-Bao had “minor issues in the past” there was “nothing that gives a strong indiction of being mixed up in any wrongdoing or organised crime or anything like that”, Doherty said.
He described them as a normal suburban couple.
“She was a young woman that was living a normal life, and she’s lost her life in a suspicious way, and now we have concerns about her husband,” Doherty said.
“We’re looking at a human being whose lost their life in terrible circumstances … it’s sad and tragic, now we’re getting a human face to this tragedy.”
Police were not ruling out that Jai-Bao had been involved in his wife’s death, Doherty said.
But he had also not been seen since the end of November, and there was no indication he had left the country.
Police had spoken with his family in Taiwan, Doherty said.
“The truth be known, we’re not sure whether Rex is alive or dead. We’re hoping he is alive so he can assist us.
“It’s a question mark, whether … he’s a person of interest or a victim.
“We do have to have an open mind, and look at a third party.”
Zhuojun lived in Sydney for about 20 years, Doherty said, and her mother was also based in the city.
Police were sifting through forensic evidence from the car, crime scene, and a search on the couple’s property, as well as analysing CCTV as part of the “dynamic” investigation, Doherty said.
They were also investigating whether associates or friends of the couple may have wanted to harm Zhuojun, or had links to the car.
In the earlier statement, police said Jai-Bao, also 33, was of Asian appearance, about 165cm to 170cm tall, with a slim build, black hair and brown eyes.
Police had released CCTV of a silver Toyota Avensis that stopped on the northern side of Foreshore Road in Botany during the early hours of 30 November.
Doherty said it was believed Zhuojun’s body was dumped between 4am and 5am, and that it appeared there were many other cars on the road at the time the vehicle stopped.
About 7am on Monday, emergency services were called to bushland in Sir Joseph Banks Park in Botany after reports a body had been found.
“Investigators are appealing for anyone with information about the car or the driver to come forward,” police said in the statement.
“Investigations under Strike Force Zygon continue.”
