Taiwanese man held over Thai woman's body in freezer

Taiwanese police have detained a 43-year-old man surnamed Wu on suspicion of murdering his 36-year-old Thai girlfriend, identified as "Art", and concealing her body in a freezer for 6 days, at his workplace in Taichung.

The woman had travelled to Taiwan to see Wu and was due to return to Thailand on September 14. When her family could not contact her, they asked a friend in Taiwan to notify police on the afternoon of September 18.

Wu is an internal employee at a technology company based in an upmarket office building in Taichung's District 7. The couple had known each other and been in a relationship for around one year, according to the investigation.

Hotel CCTV led police to Taichung

Wanhua District police checked travel records and CCTV footage after the missing-person report. They found that the Thai woman stayed at a hotel on Chengdu Road in Taipei's Ximending area on the night of September 12.

Footage showed Wu arriving at the hotel where she was staying, then leaving in the early hours of the following morning carrying a large black suitcase. He was seen placing the case in a car before driving almost 170 kilometres south to Taichung.

Investigators said the woman had arrived in Taiwan on September 2. Police also said she checked into a Ximending hotel on that date to discuss ending the relationship with Wu after the couple's relationship had deteriorated.

She was not seen or contacted again after the discussion, according to the investigation.

Suspect claims argument preceded death

Wu allegedly told investigators that an argument broke out in the hotel room after his girlfriend said she wanted to end their relationship. He is accused of strangling her with his hands, putting her body into a suitcase he had prepared, and transporting it to his office.

Police said he then placed the suitcase in a large freezer beside his desk. Most staff at the company work remotely, meaning no one allegedly noticed the body in the office during the week.

Officers said the large suitcase raised their suspicions because large cases have previously been used to move bodies in other murder investigations.

After obtaining evidence from CCTV and other inquiries, police sought a search warrant and took Wu in for questioning. Wanhua officers took him to his Taichung workplace on September 19, where they found the woman's body in the freezer.

Following a post-mortem examination by forensic doctors from the prosecutors' office, Wu was taken back to Taipei and handed to prosecutors for further action on a murder charge.

Pictures courtesy of Khaosod

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21 September 2026