On 8 May, a case of an unidentified female body discovered at sea near Hualien was reported by Taiwanese media.
According to Ctinews(中天新聞網), locals found a female body entangled in a fishing net floating in the sea off Beipu (北埔) in Xincheng Township (新城).
The Taiwanese Maritime Patrol was promptly dispatched to the scene and successfully retrieved the body.
The body was found wearing a white short-sleeved T-shirt and khaki shorts. No visible external injuries or tattoos were observed.
Preliminary investigations indicated that she had drowned, and the police ruled out foul play. There were also no indications of sexual assault or injuries inflicted by others.
According to AsiaOne, the victim involved in the unfortunate incident was Amelia Moo Wen Si, a 22-year-old law student at Singapore Management University.
Amelia, who had recently completed her exams, had decided to treat herself to a vacation and arrived in Taiwan on 28 April.
Since she had traveled to Taiwan before, her parents were not overly concerned. However, when she suddenly stopped responding to their text messages, they became worried.
At 5.30 pm on 6 May, Amelia left Hotel Bayview in Hualien, the hotel where she was staying at the time. CCTV footage captured her walking along the beach near the hotel at 6 p.m.
The young woman called a friend on Telegram at 8.17 pm but didn’t get through, and that was the last contact she had made with anyone.
Amelia’s father, 52-year-old Peter Moo, sent her a text message that night but never received a reply.
After not hearing from their daughter for 24 hours, her parents grew increasingly concerned for her safety and alerted the Taiwan police on 7 May.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei were also informed about the missing Singaporean woman the following day.
Amelia’s parents contacted the hotel and learned the staff was aware of her disappearance as she was scheduled to check out on 8 May.
Tragically, their worst fears were confirmed when local authorities discovered a female body at sea near Hualien. An autopsy was conducted on 10 May to determine the cause of Amelia’s death.
Amelia’s parents were informed that the official report would not be available for another two months.
The parents ruled out suicide
The Singapore Trade Office in Taiwan recently updated the family on the ongoing investigations.
Adeleen Chia, the mother of the deceased, expressed that the cause of Amelia’s death is still unknown at this point.
The parents firmly believe that suicide was not a factor, as Amelia was enjoying her time in Taiwan and had even met up with other family members residing there.
The mother added that Amelia stated that Amelia did not exhibit any abnormal behavior before she went missing, “From the messages and photos she shared with her friends, she was enjoying herself.”
According to her, Amelia had significant plans for her future, including applying for bar exams in August this year and starting work at a law firm in January.
Speculating on her death, Amelia’s family considered the possibility of her being chased by dogs and falling, as she had a fear of canines.
Considering the absence of external injuries, her family believes she could have blacked out after falling, possibly due to the strong wind and choppy waters near the beach.
