Police in Taiwan have arrested three suspects after the mummified body of a woman was discovered wrapped in blankets and industrial plastic film in a remote lychee orchard in Changhua County.
The gruesome discovery was made at around 9am on June 26 after a member of the public spotted a suspicious package abandoned near an orchard along Dapu Road in Fenyuan Township and alerted authorities.
When police and firefighters opened the package, they found a heavily decomposed body that had undergone natural mummification. The victim had been wrapped in a white blanket before being tightly bound with multiple layers of industrial cling film, leaving only a small section of long hair visible.
Investigators later confirmed the deceased was a woman.
The quiet orchard, normally frequented only by farmers, was immediately sealed off as a crime scene while forensic officers began collecting evidence.
Residents said they became suspicious after seeing a large police presence in the area. Some also recalled seeing a vehicle speeding through the normally quiet road two or three days before the body was discovered.
Police found identification documents belonging to a 40-year-old man surnamed Lin inside the package containing the body. He was later detained and initially claimed that the woman had fallen ill before he disposed of her body.
Further investigations led officers to arrest two additional suspects believed to have assisted in disposing of the body.
Changhua Police Deputy Chief Fu Ting-sheng confirmed that all three suspects have been taken into custody and that investigations are continuing.
Preliminary findings suggest the woman was with the three suspects when they allegedly consumed methamphetamine together. Investigators believe she may have died after taking an excessive amount of the drug.
Police suspect the three men, unsure how to deal with her death, wrapped the body before abandoning it in the orchard. Investigators believe two of the suspects helped transport the body while another led them to the dumping site.
Authorities are still working to establish the victim’s exact cause and time of death. Investigators have not ruled out homicide, and further forensic examinations are being carried out to determine whether any criminal acts contributed to her death.
