A 33-year-old man was found dead with a disfigured face and eyes gouged out in Baiguo Mountain in Changhua, Taiwan.
The discovery led to the arrest of four suspects who had been involved in the murder triggered by drug administration.
The investigation found that the victim, identified as Tang (name transliterated from Mandarin), had met a 31-year-old man named Huang (name transliterated from Mandarin) online.
Tang allegedly gave Huang heroin on the day they first met.
Huang subsequently told his uncle, 58-year-old Zhang (name transliterated from Mandarin), that he had been forced into sexual acts by Tang and coerced into consuming unknown drugs.
This then left him in a state of altered consciousness.
Source: NOW News
His physical and mental health reportedly deteriorated rapidly following the incident, which allegedly enraged his uncle.
Zhang, who reportedly has a prior drug record, allegedly planned to teach him a lesson for supplying his nephew with drugs.
At around 2am on 20 March, Zhang and a 49-year-old accomplice surnamed Wu (name transliterated from Mandarin) drove from Taichung to abduct Tang.
Huang and Zhang’s 43-year-old wife was also in the vehicle.
The group drove Tang around the Puxin area before bringing him to a remote orchard near Baiguoshan in Yuanlin.
Police believe Zhang and Wu took Tang into the orchard and assaulted him.
The wife and nephew reportedly remained in the car, claiming they heard the victim’s screams.
The suspects returned and told them Tang had been accidentally beaten to death.
Source: UDN
Police said the victim had suffered multiple injuries from sharp and blunt objects.
His body was found in a severely mutilated condition with both eyeballs gouged out.
Yuanlin police formed a task force and tracked down the suspects using surveillance footage.
On the afternoon of 21 March, officers raided a residence in Changhua and arrested all four individuals.
Source: UDN
One suspect, Wu, attempted to flee through the back door but was quickly subdued by officers waiting outside.
Following investigations, Zhang and Wu were identified as the main suspects and have been remanded without bail due to the severity of the case and risk of collusion.
Zhang’s wife and Huang were released on bail of NT$30,000 (S$1,200) each.
Police said the murder weapon has not been recovered, and the main suspects have not provided clear details about the assault.
An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.
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Featured image adapted from NOW News and UDN.