Post by Scumhunter on Jan 4, 2018 5:17:39 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: timesunion.com)
From timesunion.com: (2015 article)
Guilderland
With tight jaws and frustration rising in their voices, investigators conceded Tuesday that after nearly one year and an unprecedented international investigation they are no closer to solving the Capital Region's first quadruple homicide of a Chinese family that shocked the local Chinese-American community and rattled this suburban town.
Authorities repeated an appeal and asked the public to come forward with information regarding the Oct. 8, 2014, slaughter. Jin Chen, 39, his wife, Hai Yan Li, 38, and their sons, Anthony, 10, and Eddy, 7, who attended Guilderland Elementary School, were killed in the predawn hours inside 1846 Western Ave.
"It's been very frustrating because we're part of this community and it's been a very difficult case," State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Capt. Scott Coburn said at a news conference in Guilderland. The probe has led to New York City, several states, Canada and China.
Despite assistance from local and county investigators, the New York Police Department, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other agencies, the investigation has been stalled by cultural and language barriers and a pervasive fearfulness. Interviews were difficult with those who knew the family or worked at King's Wok Chinese restaurant, owned by Chen's relatives, a half-mile from their home.
Albany County District Attorney David Soares said he extended his vow of immunity from deportation, to the extent that he could, to any undocumented Chinese workers or those with information who may be in this country illegally and are therefore reluctant to contact authorities.
The immunity offer has not yielded substantial leads, he conceded.
The district attorney said the first 48 hours after the killings — a crucial window when homicide investigations typically generate maximum velocity — was a distressingly sluggish period.
"There were so many cultural impediments, language barriers and an overwhelming sense of fear," Soares said. Investigators also encountered obstacles from experts with the tech giant Apple, who would not unlock the iPhone records of the dead parents.
"Our interactions with Apple set us back considerably," Soares said.
Coburn said the investigation thus far yielded about 600 leads, which he characterized as "kind of a low number for a case of this magnitude."
He said there were no surveillance cameras in the vicinity of the house.
He pleaded with the public to call investigators even if it seems inconsequential. "Make the phone call," Coburn said. "You never know which piece gets this case done."
Coburn declined to specify the murder weapons, how the family members were killed or what evidence was collected at the scene, which he described as "really horrific." He also said DNA gathered did not advance the investigation. He confirmed that the four were killed between 3:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., but the bodies were not discovered until about 1 p.m. by a work associate whose English was so poor he did not immediately call authorities. He asked somebody else to call 911. Police arrived within minutes of that early afternoon emergency call.
Coburn also refused to describe any profile that is being developed — he conceded investigators did not know if they were searching for a killer or killers — or a working theory of a motive. He would not comment on details that surfaced early from sources in the investigation that suggested Chen may have been involved in human trafficking, gambling and organized crime.
"All the theories are still on the table," Coburn said.
Chen's family was from the Fujian province on the southeast coast of mainland China, where his relatives still live.
Coburn said they found no immediate connection between the Guilderland killings and two seemingly similar unsolved homicide cases in Houston and Mississippi. In January 2014, a Chinese family — a mother, father and their two young sons— were found shot in the head in their bedrooms in their home outside Houston. In 2001, three members of a Chinese family were stabbed to death inside their home on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, which profiles serial killers, recently joined the case.
"We can't rule anything out," Coburn said of a possible link between the killings of families in three states.
"We're actively working on this case," Soares said. "It's not a case that generated files that were neatly packed away. It is ongoing."
Anyone with information should call the 1-800-GIVE-TIP hot line (1-800-448-3847) or email crimetip@nysic.ny.gov.
m.timesunion.com/local/article/Year-after-slaughter-of-Guilderland-family-6551378.php
Thoughts? I'm surprised I never heard of this case before considering New York is my home state. The Guilderland case is in the New York headlines again because an eerily similar quadruple homicide occurred late last month in nearby Troy, New York. In both cases, two of the victims were children and both cases the victims appeared to be targeted: www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/quadruple-murder-place-miles-unsolved-slayings-article-1.3724011
As of now, the two cases do not seem to be related. The victims were African-American and there have already been two arrests in the Troy case: m.timesunion.com/news/article/Grand-jury-hearing-testimony-in-slaying-of-Troy-12470932.php
Unfortunately it's now over 3 years in the search for justice for Jin Chen, Hai Yan Li, and their two sons.
Admin Note: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form