Police yesterday questioned a teenager in connection with the death of a female student at Tamkang University, whose body was found in a drainage ditch under Bailing Bridge (百齡橋) in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林).
The 25-year-old student, surnamed Wei (魏), and the 16-year-old male, surnamed Yuan (袁), had a late-night party with friends by the riverside, where they had drunk alcohol and allegedly smoked marijuana.
Yuan gave conflicting information and had initially lied about his identity, said police, who were trying to clarify the circumstances leading to Wei’s death, apparently by drowning.
Police had received calls about a dead body floating in the drainage ditch, and found Yuan and his mother when they arrived at the scene, Shilin police officer Chou Chung-teh (周仲德) said.
Wei’s aunt said that Wei and Yuan had been living together in an apartment on Shilin’s Danan Road.
Police last night searched the apartment and found cannabis, ecstacy pills and devices for taking contolled substances.
When questioned by police, Yuan first said that he is a 21-year-old university student, but police said that appeared to be the identity of his elder brother.
Yuan also said that he did not know the victim, but later said he met Wei recently at a nightclub.
Looking through his phone, police said they found conversations between Wei and Yuan about cannabis and other narcotics.
Local media reports said the couple had called two other friends the previous night for a party at the riverside park.
Footage from a nearby convenience store showed that Yuan had lied about what happened, Chou said, as the couple were seen walking together into the store twice, where they bought beer and some food items.
A search of their apartment indicated that the case could be related to the use of illegal drugs, Chou said, adding that the investigation would focus on whether Wei had fallen into the drainage ditch by accident or was a victim of foul play.
Prosecutors would take samples of Yuan’s blood to determine whether he had mixed alcohol with cannabis and other narcotics at the party, he said.
Wei’s aunt told police that the two were in a relationship and the Wei family got worried after the two moved in together.
The aunt said she had moved to live somewhere near the couple to monitor their activities, but said she was still unable to prevent the tragedy.
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