Police unsure whether husband of woman found dead near Sydney Airport is a suspect or victim

Grim new details have emerged after the body of 33-year-old Zhuojun ‘Sally’ Li was found wrapped in plastic in bushland near Sydney Airport.

The disturbing find was made along Foreshore Rd at Botany on the morning of December 9.

Ms Li, who moved to Australia from China about 20 years ago, had been reported missing by her mother earlier this month after she wasn’t able to reach her.

Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said Ms Li’s family were only notified of the identification on Friday night.

“They’re obviously devastated and we’re treating this, the media release, (with) as much sensitivity as we can,” Superintendent Doherty said on Saturday.

Police seized car believed to have transported body

CCTV footage of a silver Toyota Avensis that had stopped on the northern side of Foreshore Rd on November, just days before Ms Li’s body was found has also been released.

Superintendent Doherty said the car has now been seized and is set to be forensically examined.

“We’re still appealing, if anyone has information about that vehicle, because it’s crucial to our investigation,” he said.

“We believe that vehicle was used to convey the body of Sally to Foreshore Drive and to conceal her body in the bushes there after they disposed of her in the bushland that vehicle.”

He said Ms Li’s body would have been disposed of between 4am and 5am on November 30.

“That would fit with the, unfortunately, with the decomposition and the start of the body,” he said.

Superintendent Doherty said Ms Li’s body was so decomposed by the time she was found they were unable to use fingerprints to identify her.

“We had to wait for DNA … we visit the family, and the family give DNA, and there was a match,” he said.

“So we worked with a missing person investigation, which was then been conducted by Bankstown because they lived in Greenacre, and from that, unfortunately, had to get the awful news to Sally’s mum that it was a positive match.”

He said Ms Li’s mother is “devastated”, but that police have identified Ms Li to the public to encourage people with information to come forward.

“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,” he said.

“We’re looking at a human being has lost their life and in terrible circumstances.”

Police unsure if husband is ‘alive or dead’

Police are searching for Ms Li’s husband, Jai-Bao ‘Rex’ Chen, who is also 33-years-old.

There are grave concerns for his welfare.

Superintendent Doherty said police were speaking with Mr Chen’s family in Taiwan, however he confirmed Mr Chen - originally from Taiwan - has not left the country.

“We had a Mandarin speaking officer speak to their family only this morning to let them know that we are making this appeal and have concerns - grave concerns - for Rex’s welfare and safety,” he said.

“Truth be known, we’re not sure whether Rex is alive or dead.

“We’re hoping that he is alive so we can actually assist with our inquiries as the investigation unfolds.

“At this stage, we believe he’s in Australia. But whether he’s alive or dead, that’s the question.”

‘Question mark’ in case

He said police are unsure whether Mr Chen is a victim or suspect in the case.

“It’s a question mark for whether - while we want to talk to Rex, is whether he’s a person of interest or whether he’s a victim,” Superintendent Doherty said.

“We still don’t know. What we do know is that he’s the husband of Sally, and he was reported missing at the same time as Sally, and we don’t know where he is.

“There’s no confirmation of him being alive or being seen alive since the end of November.

“We do have to have an open mind and look at a third party possibly being involved, not only in the suspected murder of Sally, but we have to look at a third party being involved in the disappearance of Rex as well.”

Mr Chen is described as being of Asian appearance and between 165-170cm tall with a slim build, black hair and brown eyes.

He said the circumstances of Ms Li’s death were “unusual” but confirmed Ms Li and Mr Chen had no history of domestic violence.

A crime scene warrant was also executed at the Greenacre home they were renting.

“All we can say safely is we’re treating it as a suspicious death and we believe it’s a homicide,” he said.

“It’s like normal couple, suburbia, in Greenacre, and this is what’s unfolded.

“That’s why it’s making this job difficult. But also hopefully it’ll give us, knowing that members of the public will know them, will reach out, but other people who may have information, will come forward as well, because it’s not an atypical event.

“This is a very sad, tragic death of someone who’s lost their life in not only an unusual way, but a suspicious and brutal way.”

Death a “mystery”

Superintendent Doherty said police are looking at people around Ms Li and Mr Chen who “may want to harm Sally”.

“Who may be in a position to transport a body to Botany and then also to cover up the actual body at the crime scene,” he said.

“(There appears) to be no - for Sally anyway - any links to any criminality or any organised crime or anything like that.

“Rex had some minor issues in the past, but nothing that really gives us a strong indication that they were involved in any wrongdoing, or any mixed up in any organised crime, or any any any criminality.

“So it’s a bit of a mystery, that part of it … why she would be killed.”

Anyone with information has been urged to come forward as investigations continue.

Superintendent Doherty earlier said police believed Ms Li’s body had been “covered in plastic in attempt to cover the body”.

“It appears that someone has stopped and the theory would be have disposed of the body just metres off the road,” Superintendent Doherty said.

“The fact is that it only appears an attempt to dispose and hid the body (will be investigated).”

Prior to Ms Li being identified, Superintendent Doherty called the situation “tragic”.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a male or female, but it does make it more tragic we’ve got a female who has met her demise in suspicious circumstance,” he said.

“At the moment she is a mystery woman, we don’t know how she is and we want to identify her.”

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