Vietnamese woman's disappearance now a murder investigation, says HK police

Hong Kong police have reclassified the case of a missing 49-year-old Vietnamese woman as murder, stating they have reason to believe that the victim has been killed.

The woman, identified as Lisa, was reported missing on June 21. After further investigation, authorities revealed she was last seen with a foreign man suspected to be involved in her disappearance before entering a unit on Castle Peak Road in Cheung Sha Wan.

Forensic teams discovered bloodstains in the unit that were later confirmed through testing to belong to the missing woman. This grim discovery led police to upgrade the case to a murder investigation.

Investigators are actively investigating and have appealed to the public for information. Anyone with details about the case is urged to contact investigators at 3661 8256.

Earlier police efforts included searches at multiple locations: the West New Territories landfill, a subdivided flat at 152 Castle Peak Road linked to the case, and the waterfront area in Tai Kok Tsui.

Authorities also deployed dive teams to search waters off Hoi Fai Road in Tai Kok Tsui, where clothing possibly connected to the case was recovered. Police believe the suspect may have already fled Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the girlfriend of a murder suspect has been charged and remanded in custody in Hong Kong on suspicion of helping the alleged offender flee to mainland China by boat.

Police also recovered a mobile phone believed to belong to the missing Vietnamese national in Ma Wan, a source confirmed on Friday, but efforts to uncover human remains have been unsuccessful so far.

The suspect, Nguyen Minh Nghia, is believed to have fled Hong Kong after allegedly killing Lisa. The suspect’s 25-year-old girlfriend, Vy Thi Lieu, appeared at Kowloon City Court on a count of assisting an offender with the intent to impede his apprehension or prosecution.

A charge sheet available for media inspection showed the defendant was a recognisance form holder, which is often granted to asylum seekers and allows them to temporarily stay in the city but not to work, and that she lived in a subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po.

It said the accused had helped Nguyen “escape to [mainland] China by ship” on June 23 “with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of that person”, knowing that he had committed murder or other arrestable offences.

The accused did not apply for bail and will be detained until the next hearing in August.
 

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