Police say 57-year-old, found in a suitcase weighed down with tiles, was ‘very, very private’ and had a ‘complex’ family life

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Progress has been made in Perth’s body-in-the-suitcase mystery, with the victim identified as a wealthy 57-year-old woman, Annabelle Chen, a talented artist who was estranged from most of her family.

The suitcase containing Chen and weighed down with tiles was found by a fisherman in the Swan river at North Fremantle on 2 July.

Detective Senior Sergeant Tom Mills said: “It is important for us to progress this investigation by providing information to the public so they can come back to us and say, we know this lady from this location, we can look at what we could call victimology.”

“She was very, very private and spiritual, was a good artist, but but we do know some things about her which at this point in time can’t discuss.

“She’s got a number of children and a very extended family but it’s a very complex situation in relation to the family … you can call it estranged.”

She had children who live in Perth, Mills said. She had a violent death with a postmortem examination revealing significant injuries.

Police were unable to identify her for two months despite an international search until last weekend.

Chen’s daughter travelled to Perth from Melbourne last week because she was worried she had not been able to contact her mother since she saw her in Perth on 30 June, two days before her body was found. She contacted police when her mother could not be found at her home in Mosman Park near the beach although her car was there, but knew nothing about the suitcase discovery.

Detectives quickly linked Chen’s disappearance to the body in the suitcase after examining her home, with forensic tests confirming her identity.

Chen was an Australian citizen, relatively wealthy, spoke English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Malay, was divorced, and had lived in WA since 1999. She had lived alone at the Meath Mews, Mosman Park, home she owned since 2002.

Police are seeking contact from anyone who knew her through the Christian churches or Buddhist temples they believe she attended or in her neighbourhood.