Missing Chinese woman killed after close friend allegedly lured her to Philippines to be kidnapped
The friend who allegedly arranged it has still not been caught.
A Chinese social media influencer, Athena Liya, went missing in the Philippines three years ago, her death recently confirmed as a result of a kidnapping orchestrated by a close friend. Known online, she was the runner-up at the 2021 Miss World Macau pageant. In June 2023, her friend Li Yifei lured her to Manila, promising luxury accommodations and a beachside photoshoot following a breakup.
After Athena's departure, Li Yifei allegedly canceled her own flight and provided flight details to kidnappers. Once in the Philippines, Athena was allegedly seized by a transnational crime syndicate. Li Yifei subsequently deleted all her social media accounts and unfollowed mutual friends. The syndicate assumed Athena's online persona, spreading misleading updates suggesting she had amassed gambling debts to coerce her family into paying an $800,000 ransom.
To hinder police investigations, they also circulated false narratives claiming she had been sold into a brothel in Cambodia and was held as a sex slave in Southeast Asia. A second individual, Li Na, arrested in South Korea in September 2024, played a role in this deception. The case gained renewed attention on July 20, when the syndicate's primary suspect, Liu Hanwen, was deported from the United States to China.
Local media reported that authorities have since confirmed Athena's death and disposal of her body. Li Yifei remains at large, with her involvement still under investigation by judicial authorities.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
