A 37-year-old man has been detained after allegedly strangling his 39-year-old girlfriend in Yangmingshan, Taipei, Taiwan and dumping her body at the scene.
The suspect, surnamed Zhou (name transliterated from Mandarin), reportedly confessed to killing Ms Zheng (name transliterated from Mandarin) with a scout rope during an argument on 16 Aug.
He reportedly later sold the car used during the crime and deleted her social media accounts to avoid detection, United Daily News reported.
According to Mirror Media, Zhou and Ms Zheng met through a dating app two months ago.
The couple soon moved in together, though neighbours and family noted frequent romantic and financial disputes between them.
On the morning of 16 Aug, Ms Zheng messaged her younger sister saying she wanted to break up with Zhou.
However, later that evening, she told her sister that she and Zhou were going to watch a fireworks display in Tamsui. This was the last time the family was able to contact her.
Her family shared appeals for help online before filing a missing person report with the Luzhou Police Precinct in Taipei on 5 Sept.
Source: UDN
Later, a check of Ms Zheng’s phone revealed that her last location was in Shilin, prompting the family to report the case to the Shilin Police Precinct.
During this time, the family kept asking Zhou about Ms Zheng’s whereabouts, but he allegedly told them to “stop asking”.
However, Zhou mentioned that they had visited Tamsui and Sanzhi, but later had an argument near Macao Bridge on Yangmingshan.
He claimed this prompted Ms Zheng to get off the vehicle and storm out, adding that he had not seen her since.
After reviewing CCTV footage, police discovered police discovered that Zhou’s vehicle drove to Yangmingshan on 16 Aug.
They launched a search operation on the mountain and arrested Zhou for questioning on 11 Sept.
However, Zhou denied knowing where Ms Zheng was.
At the same time, the search team had difficulty finding the victim, which reportedly prompted them to visit a temple to pray for guidance.
Source: Google Maps
Within an hour of the temple visit, authorities discovered human skeletal remains near a container house on private land along Pingjing Street.
According to SETN, wild dogs also appeared to have eaten the remains, leaving some bones missing.
Police also found a pair of white trousers believed to match Ms Zheng’s last known outfit, as well as a scout rope, UDN reported.
After the discovery, Zhou finally admitted to killing Ms Zheng.
He said he suspected that the victim had met other men through dating apps, leading to an argument.
Zhou then remembered that a friend told him about a secluded vegetation area in Yangmingshan, so he drove them there.
After they got out of the car to negotiate, Zhou attacked Ms Zheng from behind, strangled her to death with a scout rope, and abandoned her body at the scene.
Source: Mirror Media
He later deleted Ms Zheng’s messaging accounts and sold the vehicle involved in an attempt to conceal the crime.
On 12 Sept, Zhou, who has prior criminal records for assault and robbery, was transferred to the Shilin District Prosecutors Office for further questioning on charges of murder and abandoning a corpse.
Due to concerns over possible flight and evidence tampering, police requested Zhou’s detention and incommunicado confinement, which the prosecution approved.
Also read: Man in Taiwan allegedly murders his father, hides body in suitcase & dumps it in bushes
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Featured image adapted from ETtoday and Mirror Media.