Missing SMU law student's body found at sea in Taiwan a day after she stopped texting parents

Chin Hui Shan
The Straits Times
June 13, 2023

A Singaporean woman on a solo trip to Taiwan stopped replying to her parents’ text messages two days before she was supposed to fly home.

A day later, her body was found in the sea near Hualien county, located in the east of Taiwan.

According to AsiaOne, preliminary investigations showed that Ms Amellia Moo Wen Si, 22, had drowned.

The Taiwanese police have ruled out foul play, it said.

The Taiwanese media had earlier reported that the body of a woman was found floating off the coast of Beipu village in Hualien on the morning of May 7.

The report said the woman, who was wearing a short-sleeved Mickey Mouse white T-shirt and khaki shorts, had no visible injuries on her body.

Photo: CTi News

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has been assisting the family of the Singaporean, together with the Singapore Trade Office in Taipei.

The ministry added that it extends its deepest condolences to the woman’s family.

AsiaOne reported that the Singapore Management University (SMU) law undergraduate had gone on the trip to Taiwan in April to celebrate the end of her examinations and was slated to return to Singapore on May 8.

But she became uncontactable on May 6.

Her parents alerted the police in Taiwan the next day.

Ms Moo’s parents said that it was not her first time travelling to Taiwan, adding that she had met up with other family members living there.

She was planning to apply to take the Bar exam in August and start working at a law firm in January 2024, AsiaOne reported.

Her parents said closed-circuit television footage showed her walking along the beach near her hotel at about 6pm on May 6.

Photo: AsiaOne

In response to queries, an SMU spokesman said Ms Moo had completed the Bachelor of Laws programme and was scheduled to take part in the graduation ceremony in July.

“The sudden passing of Ms Moo is being felt greatly by her professors and friends,” said the spokesman, adding that the university has offered counselling support to her classmates, who may experience difficulty dealing with their loss.

“At the suggestion of some of her friends, Yong Pung How School of Law plans to organise a memorial service for her classmates and family,” he said.

“During this time of bereavement, we will continue to make ourselves available to render any assistance possible.”