China woman missing for 28 years found buried in mall's flower bed; suspect allegedly underwent plastic surgery

Renovators got far more than they bargained for when their works dug up woman's skeletal remains and a couple's dark past.

The body of a woman in China who went missing for 28 years has been found in a flowerbed of a shopping mall in Sichuan, Beijing News reported on Monday (April 20).

Wu Yanping's remains were completely skeletal, suggesting that she had been deceased for over 20 years. She also purportedly wore red and black winter clothing at the time of her death, reported local media Newtalk.

According to police investigations, Wu was a well-known clothing merchant who had gone missing in 1997.

Prior to her death, the single mother ran a successful wool sweater business in the 90s.

In February of 1997, she abruptly disappeared after a meal with her son at her shop, reportedly leaving to meet someone who had invited her out.

Wu's disappearance left her son distraught; a police report was filed but no progress was made at the time.

Decades later, uncovering Wu's body spurred police to action once more and officers combed through yellowed case files, speaking with long-time shop owners to find out more details about the day Wu went missing.

Police were able to uncover a lead in the form of a name - Chen Yifen (pseudonym) - provided by Wu's former shop assistant, Xiao Zhou (pseudonym), Beijing News reported.

According to Xiao, Wu had gone out to meet Chen to settle an owed debt. 

Officers also noted the absence of jewellery on Wu's remains, suggesting that there were financial motives behind her murder, China Press reported.

Capturing Chen

Although the police had a lead, it soon went cold as they realised Chen's trail had vanished.

After further investigations, they realised Chen had changed her name from Yifen to Mouyu (pseudonym), even undergoing plastic surgery.

The police were then notified on Sept 23, 2025 that Chen Mouyu had been stopped at Shanghai airport while trying to leave for South Korea, and immediately travelled to her residence in Shanghai, arresting her on Sept 27.

Her husband, Yang Fugen (pseudonym), was arrested on Sept 28 and soon confessed to their crimes, Beijing News reported.

He allegedly admitted that they had been in debt at the time due to poor business, and that they owed Wu 40,000 yuan (S$7,484) to be repaid around the Lunar New Year.

After discussing with his wife, Yang agreed to lure Wu to the mall's rooftop where they strangled her to death, taking her jewellery.

Faced with the evidence and Yang's confession, Mouyu ultimately gave in and admitted to her crimes as well.

The duo is set to stand trial in court.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com