2 men detained in 2023 Nantou murder case

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) Two men have been detained on suspicion of murder after police found human remains linked to a 2023 killing in Nantou County, following the surrender of one suspect earlier this month, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The Nantou District Prosecutors Office said a local court approved its request on Tuesday to detain a 22-year-old man surnamed Tsai (蔡) and a 24-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳).

According to prosecutors, Tsai turned himself in at a police station in Pingtung County on Dec. 7, confessing to killing a 57-year-old woman surnamed Liu (劉) in October 2023 at a residence in Nantou. He said the body was dumped under a bridge in Fenyuan Township, Changhua County.

After an initial search yielded no results, police expanded the operation with assistance from Indigenous trackers familiar with the mountainous terrain. On Dec. 14, officers found a bag containing human bones at the site.

Chen was arrested on Dec. 15 as an alleged accomplice, and both suspects were transferred to prosecutors on murder charges.

Prosecutors said the court approved their detention after questioning, citing the seriousness of the offense, which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison, as well as concerns over possible flight, evidence tampering and collusion.

The remains were examined on Dec. 15, and DNA testing is under way to confirm the victim's identity. Prosecutors said Chen's statements differ from Tsai's account, and the investigation is ongoing.

Police said the victim lived alone and was reported missing in 2024, as her family had not noticed anything unusual earlier.

Investigators believe the two men collected debts for the woman but later kept a promissory note for themselves. After an argument one of the men allegedly strangled her. Further details are still being clarified.