Police in California are still searching for clues to help in their investigation into the death of a 20-year-old Taiwanese man whose charred body was found in the trunk of his car in an empty parking lot in Orange County.
The body of Eric Liu (
His hands had been tied before he was locked inside the trunk of the car, and he may have been alive when one or more people set fire to the car after pouring gasoline on it, Irvine police said.
Investigators do not believe that Liu, a business student, was affiliated with any gangs or that the murder was drug-related.
A mid-size white car was seen leaving the scene of the crime soon after the car exploded, and police are looking for witnesses who saw the departing car.
Police released pictures of Liu on Thursday, and asked anyone with information relevant to the case to call investigators.
Liu's mother, who was visiting from Taiwan, saw Liu on Monday shortly before 10am, when he left the home he shared with his older sister, Annie Liu (
Investigators said Liu never made it to a morning class at Rio Hondo Junior College, and they found remains of college books in his car, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
Less than three hours later, a woman saw his gray Honda Accord explode on an empty lot in Irvine.
Others also witnessed the furious fire that burned everything inside the car.
Because the body was so badly burned, police are making DNA tests to verify that Liu was the victim.
Liu's parents kept his grandfather in the dark about the murder, fearing the shock would overwhelm the elderly man, who lives alone in Miaoli County.
He later found out about his grandson's death from watching a TV report.
"He was a good grandson, and would call me every week to make sure I was doing okay. He was supposed to come back to Taiwan in July. I never expected this to happen," said Liu's 75 year-old grandfather.
Annie Liu described her brother as a hard-working, well-behaved student.
"He didn't smoke or drink, and I never heard about him having trouble with anyone," his sister said.
Liu arrived in the US two years ago to study business and help out in his father's import business.
Liu's father runs a jeans factory in Cambodia, and Liu worked with a partner from Taiwan to import the finished product into the US.
US customs officials stated that their investigation had turned up nothing out of the ordinary in the business dealings of the Liu family.
Liu was kept busy all week long attending classes and selling jeans to retail distributors in the Los Angeles area, and on weekends would hawk jeans at a flea market stall in Rosemead, according to his sister.
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