KUALA LUMPUR – A hate crime? A robbery? Or some other sinister motive? United Kingdom police are stumped over the bizarre murder of a 67-year-old Malaysian, whose headless body was found in the woodlands of a seaside holiday resort town 350km from her London home more than two weeks after she was reported missing.
Chong Mee Kuen, also known as Deborah, was reported missing from her home in Wembley on June 11, said the British press, quoting Devon and Cornwall police.
“Officers were called around 5pm on Sunday, June 27, after the body of a woman was located in a wooded area in Salcombe,” a police spokesman was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror.
Cops believe that the body had been there for several days.
Chong, originally from Kuala Lumpur, had been living in London since 2004.
She was last seen in the UK capital on June 10, a day before Metropolitan Police received the missing persons report.
Chong, who studied at Convent Bukit Nanas and Ampang Road Girls’ School, was single.
Detective Supt Ben Deer of Devon and Cornwall police confirmed that officers are still conducting a search at the scene.
“Police believe that the body may have been there for some days,” he said, adding that the force is investigating Chong’s movements between June 10 and 27, including whether she had stayed at motels or bed-and-breakfast inns, as the journey from London to Salcombe is a 4½-hour drive.
The probe will look into whether she had stayed at Salcombe Harbour Hotel, located near where her body was found.
According to community news portal Devon Live, Chong’s remains were discovered in the woodlands behind the hotel following flash floods on Sunday.
Her disappearance was highlighted by London police following reports by her friends and attention brought to the matter by civil society groups, including anti-hate crime movements such as #StopAsianHate.
According to UK-based advocacy group End the Virus of Racism, there has been a 300% increase in cases of violence against people of Asian descent since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in late 2019. – The Vibes, July 1, 2021
