Husband of murdered couple had ‘chronic gambling debts’

The husband of a couple whose bodies were found dumped in a Botany park had racked up a massive gambling debt to a ‘loan shark’ just before their murder.

The husband of a couple whose bodies were found dumped in a Botany park had racked up a massive gambling debt right before their murder.

Rex Chen, 33, owed a significant amount of money to a ‘loan shark’ when he and his wife Sally Li, 33, disappeared from their Greenacre rental home last month.

NSW Police homicide squad detectives uncovered Mr Chen’s shocking debt when Ms Li’s body was found wrapped in plastic and partially buried in a park at Botany last Monday.

The unemployed couple’s finances became a strong focus for investigators as they desperately tried to locate Mr Chen, fearing he may have been killed with his wife.

The body of Sally Li, 33, was found wrapped in plastic and dumped in a park at Botany last Monday. Picture: Supplied

On Tuesday afternoon, his body was found submerged in a creek about 10m from where Ms Li’s body had been discovered.

Sources told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Chen was a chronic gambler, and a strong line of investigation is whether a loan shark is behind the couple’s killing.

Rex Chen, 33, had chronic gambling debts at the time of his murder. Supplied by NSW Police.

It is understood Ms Li was not aware of the severity of her husband’s gambling debt.

Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said a “strong line of inquiry” was that the killers were motivated by Mr Chen’s “financial debts”.

“They owed money,” he said. “There was no other criminality that we were aware of, and certainly Sally has unfortunately become a victim because of that.”

Police believe the pair was killed at their Greenacre home before their bodies were driven in a silver Toyota Avensis to Sir Joseph Banks Park in the early hours of November 30.

Police believe the couple were killed at their Greenacre rental home. Picture: Supplied

Mr Chen’s body was found on Tuesday, eight days after his wife’s body was found. Picture: Dylan Coker

The killers then made their way to Sydney Airport where police believe they travelled to Queensland before fleeing overseas, possibly to China or Taiwan.

Detective Superintendent Doherty said the suspected killers took Mr Chen’s mobile phone with them interstate, but it had since been found and retrieved by Queensland police, and sent for forensic testing.

Detective Superintendent Doherty said detectives were working with Chinese and Taiwanese authorities to track down the suspected killers.

Ms Li’s mother Susan went to police in early December when she could not contact her daughter or Mr Chen, and filed a missing persons report.

The couple’s cat was still at their rental home and was rescued by Ms Li’s mother while police began searching for the pair.

Crime scene specialists at the scene where Mr Chen’s body was found. Picture: Dylan Coker

A neighbour who would sometimes chat to Ms Li, and would bring in the couple’s garbage bin if they were away, said she couldn’t recall hearing or seeing anything untoward at the house around the time police believe the pair was murdered.

“I had no idea... I saw all the black fingerprint dust but I can’t believe they were killed inside... I would have heard something,” she said.

The neighbour said she had been told that Mr Chen’s family was flying from Taiwan this weekend to make plans to repatriate him.