A suspect in the murder of a Toronto-area woman whose burned remains were found earlier this month has fled Canada, police said Thursday, adding an international dimension to the weeks-long investigation.
York Regional Police said the Canada Border Services Agency confirmed 47-year-old Zhixiong Marko Hu, of Markham, travelled to Hong Kong. A spokesperson for the border agency said Hu left Canada on Aug.12.
"We continue to actively investigate and pursue," Const. Lisa Moskaluk, a media relations officer for the police force, said in a phone interview.
Yuk-Ying Anita Mui, a 56-year-old woman from Markham, was reported missing by her family on Aug. 9 and her burned remains were found three days later in the cottage-country community of Parry Sound, Ont.
Police have said they believe Mui went missing from an address in Stouffville, Ont., where she had been conducting a real estate transaction, and that she was targeted.
York Region police said earlier this week that Hu is facing a charge of first-degree murder and a Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest.
Police said Thursday that investigators are now set to make an application to Interpol for a red notice, a request for law enforcement worldwide to find and provisionally arrest a suspect.
Canada suspended its extradition agreement with Hong Kong in 2020 as part of its response to a package of laws imposed by China. Those national security laws gave police more power to clamp down on anti-government protests and other activities considered to be the work of hostile foreign powers.
Moskaluk acknowledged Hu's departure from Canada may complicate the police investigation but maintained that it "doesn't really change anything."
"Our investigation still continues here," she said.
"We also continue and will not stop to investigate any leads that come to our investigators, so that could be by way of more individuals of interest, and there may be other suspects or people involved in her disappearance," she said.
Three youths — two 17-year-olds and one 16-year-old — have been charged with firearms and fraud-related offences in connection with Mui's case.
The teens are believed to have used Mui's credit card in the Toronto area after her disappearance, investigators have said, but their exact involvement in the case is still under investigation.
Investigators said they also seized a Mercedes-Benz van and a Porsche SUV associated with Hu. They said the Porsche may have had a different licence plate attached to it on Aug. 9, or in the days leading up to that date.
Police said earlier this week they were still working to determine how Hu and Mui may have known each other.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2024.
Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press
