Malaysian police searching for rapper in murder of Taiwanese influencer

Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) Police in Malaysia are seeking the arrest of rapper Namewee (黃明志) in connection with the "murder" of Taiwanese influencer Iris Hsieh (謝侑芯), who was found dead at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur last month, Malaysian media said Tuesday.

According to a report in the English-language Malay Mail, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus said in a statement Tuesday that the case, which was originally investigated as a sudden death, had been upgraded to a murder investigation under Malaysia's Penal Code.

Fadil said investigators "expect to make an arrest soon," Malay Mail reported, while the Chinese-language "China Press" news site said a warrant had been issued for Namewee's arrest.

Malaysian media reported that emergency services were called to a luxury hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 22 to help a Taiwanese woman who had lost consciousness in a guest room.

Namewee was arrested at the hotel and later charged with drug possession and use. In addition to nine ecstasy pills found on his person, Namewee also tested positive for amphetamines, methamphetamine, ketamine and THC, the Malay Mail report said.

Namewee pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bail, with a procedural court hearing originally scheduled for Dec. 18, the report said.

Hsieh's death began drawing heightened media attention following reports over last weekend that she had been working on a video project with Namewee at the time of her death.

On Sunday, Namewee issued a statement on his Facebook page, claiming had not used or been in possession of drugs, and was the victim of blackmail, the details of which he was currently unable to share.

He also said that an ambulance called for Hsieh had taken almost an hour to arrive at the hotel -- a claim that was later refuted by Malaysia's health ministry, which said the ambulance had arrived in 26 minutes.

As of Tuesday, Malaysian authorities were still waiting for post-mortem and toxicology reports to determine Hsieh's cause of death, local media reports said.

According to other anonymously sourced Malaysian media reports, Hsieh, 31, was found in the hotel room's bathtub, which was completely dry and did not appear to have been used.

As emergency responders arrived at the hotel, Namewee is also said to have tried to leave the scene, before being stopped near the elevators, the unconfirmed reports said.

Namewee, 42, is known for his comments and songs that touch on sensitive social and political topics.

Born and raised in Malaysia, he rose to fame in Taiwan in 2022 when his song "Fragile" (玻璃心), a Mandarin ballad satirizing nationalistic Chinese internet users, was pulled from music streaming services in China one day after its release.

A graduate of Taiwan's Ming Chuan University, Namewee has been nominated three times for best Mandarin male singer at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards.

Asked about the case on Tuesday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told CNA that after learning of Hsieh's death, its representative office in Malaysia notified her family and is helping with follow-up arrangements.

The ministry declined to provide additional details on the case for reasons of privacy and out of respect for Hsieh's family.