China woman missing for 28 years found buried in shopping mall flower bed, pair confesses to murder over S$7,500 debt

During renovations of a shopping mall in Sichuan, China, a decomposed body was found buried in a flower bed on the roof of the building.

The flower bed had been abandoned for close to 30 years by the time of the discovery in September 2025, Newtalk reported.

The police later identified the body to be Wu Yan Ping, a clothing retailer who had been missing for 28 years.

The last time her family saw her was in February 1997, when she stepped out of her shop after a meal and told her family she would be back soon. They lost contact with her after that.

Following investigations, the police arrested two suspects in relation to the case, one of whom confessed to murdering Wu and burying her in the flower bed that night.

What the investigations revealed

When Wu first went missing in 1997, the police made little progress in searching for her.

After her body was found, the police reviewed the old case files and interviewed former business owners at the shopping mall, and managed to obtain important clues.

The day she went missing, Wu was meeting a woman who used to run a business in the same building, who asked Wu out purportedly to pay back a debt she owed Wu.

This woman, Chen Yi Fen, became a suspect because Wu's belongings had also gone missing, leading the police to believe there were financial motives behind the murder.

But Chen was difficult to locate. The police found out that she had left the city shortly after Wu went missing, and later changed her name and did plastic surgery on her face.

It was only after cross-checking old case documents, household registration, and immigration records that the police finally tracked her down in Shanghai.

Confession

Besides Chen, the police also arrested her ex-husband, Yang Fu Gen, and it was he who eventually confessed to the crime.

According to Newtalk, he said that he and Chen owed Wu roughly RMB 40,000 (S$7,500) at the time, and decided to lure Wu out to a warehouse in the shopping mall that night in 1997.

They strangled her, then moved her body to the rooftop flower bed, where they buried her. They also took some of her valuables, including gold.

Chen, who initially insisted on her innocence, later confessed as well.

The pair will next stand trial at court.

Wu's body has been retrieved by her family for a proper burial.

Her son, who had persisted in searching for his mother over the 28 years, said he hopes the court will bring justice to his mother.

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