Police share theory as wife found wrapped in plastic next to her husband near Sydney Airport
Police have shared a theory as to what might have happened after the bodies of a husband and wife were found in a park near Sydney Airport.
On December 9, the body of Zhuojun 'Sally' Li was found wrapped in plastic by a jogger in Sir Joseph Banks Park, Botany.
Yesterday (December 17) another body was found around 10 metres away from that spot and officials believe it to be her husband, Jai-Bao 'Rex' Chen.
His body had been submerged in water and covered by reeds, with officers saying that decomposition could make formal identification difficult.
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In a press conference, Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said there was a 'strong likelihood' that the body was that of the husband, and that police believed this could be a 'targeted double murder' in which the couple were murdered at another location before their bodies were dumped in the park and the killers fled the country.
He said it was believed that the couple, both 33, had likely been murdered in Greenacre where their home was, before being dumped in the park near Sydney Airport some time around the end of November.
"At this stage, we are treating it as more than likely a targeted double murder," Doherty explained of the police's stance on the matter.
"As we said previously, a very strong investigative theory is that a third party is involved.
"They owed money. There was no other criminality that we were aware of, and certainly Sally has unfortunately become a victim because of that."
The police officer went on to say that he believed at least two people were involved in the murders, explaining the rationale behind a theory that the suspected killers had travelled to Queensland before leaving Australia.
Chen's phone had been recovered in Queensland and had been sent to be 'forensically examined'.
What police did strike down was the theory that Chen might have been involved in his wife's death, saying it was 'obviously not the case'.
Li had been reported missing after her mother said she was unable to get in touch with her, and on December 14, just a few days before his body was found, a public appeal to find Chen was made.
Police said they had 'grave concerns' for his welfare and wellbeing, but by the time the appeal had been made, he was most likely dead and dumped in the park.
The investigation continues, and police would welcome information about a silver Toyota Avensis, which they say stopped between 4am and 5am on November 30 on Foreshore Road, Botany, that runs alongside the park where the bodies were found.
Topics: Australia, World News, Crime
Joe Harker