Hilary Bower, a British national and Hong Kong resident who went missing in Shenzhen on March 22, was murdered on the night he disappeared, according to the police.

Hilary Bower.

Bower, who taught at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, crossed the Lo Wu border at 5:10pm on the day of his disappearance. The 60-year-old lived in Shenzhen with his girlfriend and 6-year-old son. He called his girlfriend at around 9pm on the same day, but was not seen or heard from since.

Hong Kong police were notified by the mainland authorities of his death on Tuesday. The West Kowloon Missing Person Investigation Unit informed his girlfriend, who filed the missing person report on March 30.

The circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death remain unclear.

Richard Charles, a friend of Bower, told HKFP on Monday that his disappearance could have been linked to a HK$10m mainland property sale.

Additional reporting: Kris Cheng.