Single mum in M’sia feared daughter, 21, disappeared in S’pore, hears back months later

Dionna Liew Jia Yee, 21, left her single mother in Johor, Malaysia, and said she was seeking out a new job in Singapore on Aug. 28, 2024.

For a while, Liew continued to text her mother while abroad.

Soon, though, Pau Yiew Ping, 47, stopped receiving text messages from her eldest daughter.

Five months later in January 2025, Pau still had not heard back from her daughter.

She had no idea where her daughter might be, and whether she was safe.

Pau even filed police reports with authorities in Malaysia and Singapore regarding Liew's disappearance.

News of Liew's disappearance spread across Malaysian media.

“I will not be able to sleep peacefully until I know that she is safe. If she sees this [news article], I hope she will give me a call to put my mind at ease," Pau told The Star on Jan. 10, 2025.

Two days later on Jan. 12, Pau finally got what she hoped for.

Following the widespread circulation of news regarding her disappearance, Liew finally decided to get in touch with Pau.

Liew had run away to Xi'an, China without informing her mother to seek out a fresh start and get away from her family, it would seem.

She was safe and doing well for herself in the city as a piano teacher.

Stopped sending texts

According to Pau, who spoke at a press conference in Johor Bahru on Jan. 10, Liew worked as a piano teacher in Singapore for two years before she lost her job in June 2024.

She then returned to Johor to look for a new job. Soon after, she told her mother that she had secured an "admin job" in Singapore.

After Liew departed for Singapore on Aug. 28, Pau was able to contact her from time to time via text messages.

The messages, however, became shorter and less frequent over time.

Pau told The Star:

“She usually replied very quickly and gave rather lengthy responses, but that changed after she returned to Singapore the second time.

I felt like I was talking to someone else."

Soon after, Pau stopped getting text messages from Liew altogether.

Reached out to ex-husband and friends

Desperate to find out what happened to her daughter, Pau reached out to her ex-husband and friends to see if they had any information about her whereabouts.

This was, however, to no avail.

She also lodged a police report regarding Liew's disappearance in Malaysia and Singapore.

Liew was spotted at Changi Airport on the night of Aug. 28, police in Singapore reportedly told Pau.

Afraid daughter may have been scammed

Pau said during the press conference that her daughter might have boarded a plane to another country.

All the same, Pau had no idea what country she might have been headed for and was afraid Liew might have fallen victim to some kind of job scam.

All Pau wanted was a phone call or any kind of sign from Liew to "put [her] mind at ease."

Pau's two other daughters also tried tracking down Liew's whereabouts.

Working as piano teacher in Xi'an

Liew, who hitherto was missing without a trace, finally reached out to Pau on Jan. 12.

It turns out that she had been working as a piano teacher in Xi'an for the past three months, The Star reported.

Liew apparently left for Xi'an without informing her mother due to "personal struggles" and a "desire for a new beginning."

Liew reportedly wanted a fresh start and moved to China to relieve herself of stress caused by family issues.

According to an official in Johor who spoke to Liew, Liew felt "her mother no longer cared for her and believed it wouldn’t matter where she went."

The official clarified that Liew was not under any duress or threat in China.

Liew shared that she plans to return to Johor for Chinese New Year and wants to bring her mother back to China with her after the celebrations.

Top photo from 洪敦集 Ang Tun Chek/Facebook & China Press