Annabelle Chen

Annabelle Chen
Name	Annabelle Chen
Sex	Female
Age	57
Missing from	Perth, Western Australia
Disappeared	30 June, 2016
Discovered	2 July, 2016
Location	East Fremantle, Western Australia
Identified	5 September, 2016
Span	2 months
Cause of death	Beating

Annabelle Chen was a woman who was found inside a suitcase in the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia on 2 July, 2016.

While unidentified, Chen was thought to be between 30-45, which was later revised to 30-50 with an updated reconstruction.

Background

Chen was originally from Singapore and moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1999. She spoke a number of languages, including Mandarin and Cantonese. She was a talented artist from a wealthy family, divorced and had estranged children, so it was not uncommon for her to go months without contacting relatives. Investigators described her as a "private, caring, spiritual person".

Case

Chen was murdered sometime between 30 June and July 2, 2016. The circumstances surrounding Chen's murder are conflicting. Chen's daughter alleged her father (and Chen's ex-husband) hit her with a paperweight during an argument about money, while Chen's ex-husband stated their daughter told him she killed her during a fight about her upcoming university graduation ceremony.

A suitcase containing Chen's body was discovered in the Swan River at 7:30am in East Fremantle on 2 July, 2016 by a fisherman. Ceramic tiles were also found inside the suitcase, which were used to weigh it down. A scooter with a chopping board attached was also found in the Swan River a short time after the discovery, which investigators believe was used to transport the suitcase.

Identification

Chen's daughter traveled from Melbourne to Perth after she had not heard from her mother since 30 June, two days prior to the discovery of the body and reported her missing.

After lying to police, Chen's ex-husband and daughter were charged with first degree murder. Both were put on trial, where they both blamed each other for Chen's murder. Chen's ex-husband was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, while her daughter was found guilty of being an accessory to murder and served three years.

Characteristics

• Distinctive tattooed eyebrows.
• Significant dental work including a root canal performed on her top front left tooth with a crown that appears white against the rest of her teeth.

Clothing and accessories

• A 'Kathmandu' vest.
• A long-sleeve shirt.
• A black T-shirt with the Tokyo Disneyland logo.

Gallery

First reconstruction

Second reconstruction after revised age range

Suitcase

Tiles used to weigh down the suitcase - these were later tied back to bathroom tiles in Chen's bathroom

Sources

• ABC:
  • Article #1 (7/8/2016)
  • Article #2 (22/8/2016)
  • Article #3 (5/9/2016)
  • Article #4 (6/9/2018)
• WA Today