Six suspects detained after human remains found in barrels
Six people have been detained after an investigation turned up the remains of a 16-year-old girl, and a 54-year-old man, both stuffed into plastic barrels, and hidden in separate locations in Miaoli County, and Taichung City.
According to media reports, the two murder victims were killed at different times for reasons unrelated to each other. The female, named Tsai, is believed to have been murdered in 2017, while the male victim, named Huang, was killed in 2019.
China Times reported that Taichung’s Criminal Investigation Bureau received information after a member of the criminal syndicate revealed information to police, due to a guilty conscience about his involvement in the case. The informant provided police with the locations of the two barrels.
The remains of Huang were found in a barrel in a remote mountain area in Miaoli County, while the barrel containing the remains of Tsai was found in a bungalow on a property owned by the main suspect, a man named Hsu.
The remains were mostly dissolved in a strong acid, and the barrels had been sealed with concrete. Forensic detectives are awaiting DNA analysis of bone fragments to positively identify the remains.
Hsu, 34, and his 20-year-old wife, named Chen, are alleged to be the ringleaders of a crime syndicate operating mainly in Taichung City.
Hsu and Chen were arrested Saturday, November 20, in Hualien City. Of the eight people investigated, six have been ordered to remain in detention by the District Prosecutor’s Office, according to Liberty Times.
According to the investigation so far, it is believed that Hsu and his accomplices stabbed Tsai to death in 2017, because Hsu believed that Tsai owed him money. Huang was beaten to death in 2019 after testifying against Hsu in a fraudulent land purchase case.
Taiwan English News is an independent publication with no corporate funding. If you found this article informative, and would like to support my work, please buy me a coffee or support me on Patreon. Subscribe to Taiwan English News for free to receive the latest news via email. Advertising queries are welcome. Share, like, comment below.