A woman accused of poisoning an Australian exchange student is reportedly being investigated over the mysterious death of her British husband just months earlier.
Alex Shorey, 24, from Toowoomba in southern Queensland, fell ill after an older woman allegedly drugged him with rat poison while he was studying in Taiwan in early 2023.
His illness was initially blamed on poor street food before toxicology tests revealed he had ingested the rodenticide superwarfarin.
The University of Queensland exchange student was eventually medically repatriated to Australia weeks later after the public raised more than $200,000.
Taipei City police later charged a 45-year-old local woman (who local media reported was Shorey’s girlfriend) with causing bodily harm for the alleged poisoning, according to Taiwan News.
It has since emerged that detectives are also investigating the mysterious death of the woman’s husband in January 2023, just months before Shorey was allegedly poisoned.
The new lead reportedly emerged in January this year when a British man travelled to Taiwan seeking information about his older brother, who had moved there after marrying a local woman.
However, he subsequently lost contact with his family, who had not heard from him for months.
Alex Shorey (pictured left), 24, from Toowoomba in southern Queensland, became ill after being allegedly drugged with rat poison by an older woman while studying in Taiwan in early 2023.
The University of Queensland exchange student (pictured) was eventually medically repatriated to Australia after the public raised more than $200,000.
Using the little information provided by the younger brother, police discovered that the British citizen had been married to the woman accused of poisoning Shorey.
But he had died in January 2023, four months before Shorey fell ill, after suffering very similar symptoms, according to the Taipei Times.
Doctors treating the Briton suspected he may have ingested rat poison.
Despite this, his body was handed over to his wife without a forensic autopsy being performed.
He later had the body cremated.
Local police are currently investigating the man’s death. No charges have yet been filed against him.
The woman also remains under investigation for the alleged poisoning of Mr Shorey.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Taipei City Police for further comment.
Mr Shorey, who had been overseas for almost a year, was weeks away from returning home to Australia when… She began experiencing black spots on her skin and unusual bleeding in late March last year.
Alex Shorey’s parents Stephen and Julie (pictured) initially believed their son’s illness was a result of eating spoiled street food before toxicology tests revealed he had ingested the rodenticide superwarfarin.
A GoFundMe page set up on behalf of Mr Shorey’s parents raised nearly $210,000 in less than two days.
He was eventually admitted to the intensive care unit at Taipei Medical University Hospital three weeks later.
After days of bleeding, Mr Shorey went into hypovolemic shock, meaning his organs were at risk of failing due to lack of blood.
He was in and out of the hospital for the next few weeks as baffled doctors tried to figure out what was wrong with him.
His parents initially believed his illness was caused by contaminated street food, but Taipei police ruled this out.
The horrible truth came to light later, when toxicology tests showed that he had ingested superwarfarin, rat poison.
Taipei police have investigated a 45-year-old woman (according to local media, Shorey’s girlfriend) for suspected deliberate poisoning.
Local media reported that rat poison was discovered in the woman’s home, similar to that found in Mr Shorey’s system.
Medical Rescue (pictured) flew Mr Shorey back from Taiwan to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Queensland in May 2023.
She reportedly told detectives she had mixed rat poison with juice in an attempt to commit suicide because she was depressed over her husband’s death, but that Mr Shorey drank the mixture by mistake.
After discovering she had booked a one-way ticket to the UK, police banned the woman from leaving the country and confiscated her phone.
They reportedly discovered messages indicating she was unhappy with Shorey socialising with other women and his plans to return to Australia.
Last year, Shorey’s family said in a statement that their “priority is Alex’s recovery.”
“We have been declining media requests since Alex’s return as we have been advised not to comment further so as not to jeopardise the ongoing police investigation in Taiwan,” the statement added.
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