The husband of a couple whose bodies were dumped in a creek near Sydney Airport racked up a huge gambling debt before they were killed.
The body of Jai-Bao ‘Rex’ Chen, 33, was found submerged in a stream near Botany Bay’s Sir Joseph Banks Park in Sydney’s south on Tuesday afternoon.
The decomposed body of his wife Zhuojun ‘Sally’ Li, which had been wrapped in plastic, was discovered by a jogger 10 meters away eight days earlier.
Homicide detectives have discovered that Mr. Chen owed a significant amount of money to a loan shark, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Sources told the newspaper that Chen had a “chronic” gambling habit.
Police are investigating whether a loan shark was responsible for the couple’s death.
Homicide squad commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty confirmed Mr Chen’s financial problems are “a strong line of inquiry” in the investigation.
‘They had money. “There was no other crime that we were aware of and certainly Sally unfortunately became a victim because of that,” he said.
The decomposing body of Zhuojun ‘Sally’ Li (pictured) was discovered by a jogger in a forest on December 9.
Police in New South Wales have uncovered a significant amount of debt that Mr Chen (pictured) is believed to have accumulated before he was murdered.
It is understood that Mrs Li was not aware of the extent of her husband’s debts.
A New South Wales police spokeswoman declined to comment further on the latest revelations when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday night.
A neighbor of the couple told the publication that Chen’s family would fly from Taiwan this weekend to repatriate him.
Detective Superintendent Doherty told a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that police believed the body discovered earlier that day was that of Mr Chen.
“The body is submerged in a stream with water, covered with very thick foliage of bushes, reeds, which makes it very difficult to see and it has been there for some time,” he told reporters.
“There is a strong probability and assumption that this is Rex’s body.”
He added: “We are treating it more like a targeted double murder.”
“As I said previously, we thought there was a third party involved (a very strong research theory) and that has now been confirmed.”
It is understood Ms Li (pictured) was not aware of the extent of Mr Chen’s debts.
Police believed the murders took place at the couple’s home in Greenacre, in Sydney’s southwest, before two third parties drove their bodies to bushland near the airport.
“At some point after the bodies were dumped at Botany, (the third party) traveled to Queensland,” Detective Doherty added.
“We have located a phone that finally reached the hands of relatives and was later confiscated by the police.
“That phone has been forensically examined and based on the investigations we have had so far we believe there are at least two people involved and both have traveled overseas.”
Police are in contact with Chinese and Taiwanese authorities in the search for the third suspects involved.
The second body, which has yet to be formally identified, was discovered during a search for Ms Li’s partner Jai-Bao ‘Rex’ Chen on Tuesday (pictured: police at the scene).
In the photo: Forensic agents examine the place where the bodies of a couple were discovered.
He also sought to reject criticism that it took police a week to find the second body.
“It’s probably only ten meters away, maybe even closer, but it’s completely covered,” Superintendent Doherty said.
“It’s been submerged in very thick reeds and other foliage that makes it almost impossible to see.”
The grim discovery came three days after police launched a public appeal for information on Mr Chen’s whereabouts amid serious concerns for his well-being.
Neither Ms. Li nor Mr. Chen had been seen since November. Ms. Li’s body was discovered a week after her mother Susan reported her daughter missing.
Police are seen searching the Botany Bay park where Ms Li’s body was found last Monday.
A silver Toyota Avensis, which does not belong to either of them, was seized by Homicide Brigade agents because they believe it was used to dump the bodies of both.
“We are investigating associations and friends of Sally and Rex who may have been in a position to transport a body to Botany and then also cover the actual body at the crime scene,” Detective Doherty previously said.
Detective Doherty said Chen was last seen alive in November and there was a “strong investigative theory” that a third party could be involved.
“Not only in Sally’s alleged murder, but we also have to look for a third party involved in Rex’s disappearance,” he said.
Homicide team officers confiscated a silver Toyota Avensis, which does not belong to either of them, because they believe it was used to transport Ms Li’s body.
Detective Doherty said Ms Li and Mr Chen were a “normal couple” who had no known links to organized crime.
Mr Chen had a number of drug-related convictions.
He was convicted in 2022 and sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order for supplying a prohibited drug.
The order expired in January of this year.
He was subject to additional conditions: he had to be supervised by a community corrections officer and continue treatment for his “alcohol and drug problems”.
According to their neighbors, the couple had recently been caring for disabled people at home under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
“In a world that often overlooks the unique needs and abilities of people with disabilities, we are a beacon of support and advocacy,” Ms. Li wrote on her company’s website.
She previously attended Riverside Girls High School and worked in early childhood, according to her social media accounts.
Ms. Li’s mother spent last weekend cleaning her daughter’s marital home.
On Sunday she was seen placing the couple’s possessions in the front garden of their rental property in Sydney’s southwest.
The heartbroken mother was faced with the task of cleaning the house after police searched the property for possible clues on Friday.
Every inch was inspected and dusted for fingerprints, including the front fence, and police were also seen patrolling the house on Sunday.