The son of a woman who went missing from Richmond in June has been charged with first-degree murder, police announced Friday.
Forty-seven-year-old Lianjie Guo and her husband were visiting their 25-year-old son Yuan Xi Tang, when she disappeared on June 7. Her family reported her missing the next day.
Police investigated the suspicious disappearance and deemed it a homicide in July.
Guo’s badly decomposed body was found in a suitcase on Harwood Island off the Sunshine Coast on July 29, police said. The remains were found by visiting boaters who immediately called Powell River RCMP.
Sgt. Jennifer Pound with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said police believe the suitcase floated from Richmond to Harwood Island.
Guo’s son Yuan Xi “Will” Tang, has also been charged with counselling to commit an indictable offence and police believe he may have been planning to murder his father.
At a press conference in June, Tang told reporters he had no idea what happened to his mother.
“I trust police and now I’m still waiting for my mom. If someone sees my mom or has any information about my mom, please call police,” he said.
Tang’s father, who spoke in Cantonese while his son translated, expressed his frustration about not knowing where Guo had gone.
“My father is still very upset and still loves my mom and now he’s missing my mom,” Tang said.
Police worked closely with Guo’s husband and son during the investigation and gathered evidence that suggested a family member was involved in the murder.
Pound said because investigators were trying to determine whether both men were involved, Guo’s husband was not notified until Friday that his wife’s remains had been found and his son was charged with her murder.
“As you can well imagine he is attempting as best he can to process all this information,” she said.
