Botany: Police find second body, believed to be husband of Zhuojun ‘Sally’ Li, woman found dead nearby
Police say they believe a second body discovered in bushland belongs to the husband of a murdered woman, revealing confronting details about the shocking case.
Emergency services were called to bushland in Sir Joseph Banks Park in Botany on Monday, December 9.
There, they found the body of Zhuojun ‘Sally’ Li, a woman who had been reported missing by her concerned mother just days earlier.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Ms Li’s body was wrapped in plastic and hidden in bushland.
On the weekend, police issued a desperate plea to find her missing husband, Jai-Bao ‘Rex’ Chen, saying they had grave concerns for his welfare.
At 2pm on Tuesday, detectives investigating Ms Li’s death found another body nearby.
The second body was found as Strike Force Zygon detectives were conducting a search of the same area where Ms Li’s body was found.
Ms Li moved from China to Australia more than 20 years ago and had been living with Mr Chen, who is from Taiwan, in a rental apartment in Greenacre.
Homicide Squad commander Danny Doherty revealed on Tuesday that police believed the body found was that of Mr Chen, despite the fact that it had yet to be formally identified.
The body was found submerged in water, he said, and had been badly decomposed.
Police were working to retrieve the body but had notified Mr Chen’s next of kin in Taiwan that the body had been found.
“It may be difficult to formally identify the body with the nature of decomposition,” he said.
“At this stage we’re treating it as, more than likely, a targeted double murder.”
Det-Supt. Doherty said police were investigating whether the couple were murdered due to “monies owed”.
He said they believed the couple were killed at their Greenacre home before their bodies were dumped in the bushland.
A car that police had appealed to help track down had been found, with Det-Supt. Doherty saying police believed it had been used to transport the bodies.
Police had also tracked down Mr Chen’s phone, which was traced to Queensland and was used around the time of the suspected murders.
He said two people of interest appeared to have left the country and that police were widening their investigation to include China and Taiwan.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 to make a confidential report.
