Drug dispute may have led to death of Hongli Qi – whose badly decomposed body was found in Sydney bush

A convicted drug supplier whose body was found dumped in remote bushland months after he disappeared may have been murdered over a drug dispute, police have revealed.

A young man was heavily involved in the drug trade when he was likely murdered and his body dumped on the side of a remote road in Sydney’s northwest, police have revealed.

Hongli Qi was last seen leaving an apartment on Macquarie St in the CBD on Wednesday May 11, before his badly decomposed body was discovered earlier this month in bushland near Packer Rd at Blaxlands Ridge.

The 28-year-old’s body was found by local council workers before forensic confirmation that it was Mr Qi’s.

NSW Police Homicide Squad boss Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said the fact Mr Qi was known to have been “involved in the drug trade”, and how far away his body was dumped from where he was last seen, indicates his death was likely suspicious.

“He was known to be involved in the drug trade … he is known to police and that is a line of inquiry,” Det Supt Doherty said.

Convicted drug supplier Hongli Qi is believed to have been killed in May and his body dumped in bushland in northwest Sydney. Source – NSW Police

Homicide Squad detectives investigating his death have released CCTV footage of Mr Qi leaving a building on Macquarie St in Sydney about 6pm on May 11. Source – NSW Police

“We’re trying to ascertain his movements. He was seen on CCTV in Macquarie St, before his body was then found nearly two months later, about 80kms away.

“At the time he was living in a one-bedroom apartment in Macquarie St. As far as we know he didn’t have any employment.

“He was found in the clothing that he was believed to be last seen in.

“The body was found 50 metres off the road, it was badly decomposed and a preliminary autopsy was not able to establish a preliminary cause of death, but it is definitely being treated as suspicious.”

Mr Qi was born in China but moved to Australia in 2003 when he was just nine years old with his brothers and stepfather.

Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty. Picture: Tim Hunter.

He had difficulties learning in his early years because of the language barrier and held multiple jobs after leaving school, including for a pest control company, at a relative’s furniture store and as a gym manager.

But in 2017, at age 24, Mr Qi was arrested and charged with supplying a large commercial quantity of drugs.

He was convicted and initially handed an intensive corrections order (ICO) for two-and-a-half years, but that was overturned on appeal in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal and he was jailed for a minimum of 18 months.

Police said relatives reported Mr Qi missing when they were unable to contact him.

Mr Qi’s badly decomposed body was found in early August. He was still wearing the same clothes he was seen in on CCTV in May. Source – NSW Police

Det Supt Doherty said investigators looking into Mr Qi’s death under Strike Force Procyon wanted to talk to anyone who may have spoken to or seen him before his death, or had information about what happened to him.

“Detectives want to talk to anyone who may have spoken to or seen Hongli in the days and weeks before he was last seen,” he said.

“His disappearance was completely out of character … we have a strong belief that Hongli has been the victim of foul play.”