Wednesday 23 November 2011

Murder victim did not go missing afterall

<strong>Murder probe: </strong>Police allege Cairns woman Li Ping Cao has been killed by her husband.

Missing wife case now a murder investigation

Melanie Petrinec
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
© The Cairns Post


A BRINSMEAD man has been charged with his missing wife's murder just one week after making an impassioned plea to the Far Northern community for information on her whereabouts.

 Police are now concentrating on the "fine, minute details" of the case after Klaus Andres, 68, faced Cairns Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with the murder of 42-year-old Li Ping Cao and was remanded in custody.

About the same time, Cairns Regional Council crews were working with a circular saw to cut into bitumen surrounding a drain near Mr Andres’ home on Chapel Close, where a crime scene has been established. Far Northern regional crime co-ordinator Det Insp Bruno Asnicar would not reveal whether Ms Cao’s body had been found, but said police were "satisfied that the victim is deceased" and investigations were continuing. "We’re going into very fine, minute details in the investigation now," he said. "It’s as a result of that line of investigation we have progressed to where we are now.  "The investigation is … far from over."

Det Insp Asnicar said the case has focused "greatly on forensics", with scientific officers from Brisbane being flown in to assist with the investigation. He said Ms Cao’s family in China had been contacted, and it was believed they would be arriving in Cairns over the coming days.
The Chinese Consulate has also been informed.  It is believed Mr Andres met Ms Cao during a holiday in China, and they have been married for five years.  She was last seen alive on October 31. On November 14, Mr Andres fronted a media conference at Cairns police station to make a public plea for any information that may reveal his wife’s whereabouts.

Det Insp Asnicar said police wanted to talk to anyone in the business community – such as shop assistants or newsagents – who had contact with Ms Cao or Mr Andres.  "We’ve still got a lot of gaps in the timeline," he said. Mr Andres’ defence solicitor, Stephen O’Reilly, told Cairns Magistrates’ Court he believed more charges were pending.  He asked for the case to be adjourned to November 29. "Hopefully, by that stage we’ll know exactly what we’re dealing with," he said.

Outside court, Mr O’Reilly said Mr Andres intended to apply for bail at a later date.

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1 comment:

  1. Sadly, one can see these young asian women being dragged around by old men, farmers, and other social misfits thru Cairns Central and other shopping areas around the city. Men desiring "submissive women" are drawn to China, Thailand, the Phillippines, and other impoverished countries and can easily bring back a young "rental" for their carnal use, in most cases prostitutes and bargirls of low class and education. While they're easy to exchange for a replacement (after they've secured permanent Australian residency), apparently this guy decided a better disposal method was available to him.

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