Hualien police yesterday said they suspect the two women whose unclothed bodies were found on a riverbed in Hsiulin Township (
"Police suspect that the two victims were sex workers by their looks, hair, make up and the rings they wore, and that the two women might have been murdered after having disputes with their guests," said Chen Kwan-yu (陳寬裕), a police officer at the Hualien County Police Department who is leading the investigation.
Chen said that police were attempting to identify the two victims by visiting hostess bars and love hotels in Hualien City, but the investigation has been slow.
There were no signs on the victims' bodies indicating they fought with the criminals before they were killed, so police think they probably were familiar with the killers, Chen said.
The women's necks, however, did show signs of strangulation.
The two victims were probably Aboriginal, Chen added.
No one has come forward to identify the victims.
Chen said that according to a witness, at around 5am on Sunday, two black cars stopped by the bridge from which the two bodies were thrown. The cars quickly left when a male driver saw the witness looking at the vehicles.
Chen said the two murders are probably connected.
He added that because the older victim, about 30 years old, was pregnant and weighed around 70kg, she had probably been dragged to the location by at least two people.
Chen said the murders had likely been committed in Hualien City.
The first corpse was discovered by an elderly man at around 6am on Sunday on the riverbed under the Shueiyuan Bridge in Hsiulin Township.
Police discovered the second body at around 10am, less than 100m from the first.
Both were only wearing underpants but there were no indications of rape.
Forensic doctors said that the younger victim, thought to be around 20 years old, was thrown off the bridge after being strangled. The second woman also showed signs of strangulation and had been hit on the head.
Forensic doctors are expected to conduct autopsies tomorrow.
Police said the murders have terrified residents of the quiet township.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the