A double homicide investigation is under way as police work to identify a body found in Botany, believed to be Jai-Bao "Rex" Chen.
Chen's wife, Zhuojun "Sally" Li was found dead in early December, sparking the massive homicide and missing person investigation.
Since her body was found, the investigation has unravelled quickly – here's everything we know about the case so far.
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November 27 – Couple go missing
Sally Li is first reported missing by her mother when she was unable to be contacted.
She was last seen alive in Greenacre on November 27, 2024, according to the NSW Police missing persons registry.
Homicide detectives said that her husband Rex also went missing around the same time.
Late November to early December – Alleged homicides take place
Police allege that the couple were killed in their Greenacre apartment, in Sydney's south-west, at some point on or before November 30.
Homicide detectives are yet to provide a specific timeline in relation to when the pair were allegedly murdered.
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November 30 – Police allege bodies are dumped in Botany
Homicide boss Danny Doherty alleges that the Bodies of Li, and presumably Chen, were driven from their Greenacre apartment to Foreshore Drive in Botany on November 30.
He alleges the bodies were transported in a silver Toyota Avensis, which was spotted on CCTV stopped on the side of the road between 4am and 5am on November 30.
"More than one person had targeted both Sally and more likely Rex, (they've) murdered them and dumped their bodies on Foreshore Drive at Botany," Doherty said.
December 9 – First body found
At 7.30am on December 9, a jogger stumbled across the body of a woman wrapped in plastic at Sir Joseph Banks Park, off Foreshore Drive in Botany.
A massive police response begins and detectives admit that the body's decomposition made it hard to determine how long the woman had been there.
"Unfortunately, the length of time the body has been there is still unknown. It was in a severe state of decomposition," Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said at the time.
"At this stage, we are treating it as a suspicious death."
Forensic testing on the site began as investigators tried to identify the woman.
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December 14 – Body identified as sparking concerns for husband
On December 14, Sally Li was identified as the body found at Botany, and police announced that they held "grave concerns" for the safety of her husband.
It was revealed that Rex Chen had been missing for the same amount of time, and police had "no evidence" that he was alive.
"Truth be told … we're not sure whether Rex is alive or dead," Doherty said at the time.
"It's a question mark on whether he's a person of interest or a victim, we still don't know.
"There's no confirmation that he's alive … or that he's been seen alive since late November."
The homicide squad boss also revealed that a silver Toyota Avensis had been seized as police believed it was used to transport the body of Li.
He also announced the theory that a third person was involved in the murder of Li and the disappearance of Chen.
December 17 – Second body found, more details revealed
At 2pm on December 17, police found a second body in Botany, just 10 metres away from where Li was found.
The body was found in a creek and had been buried under "thick" foilage.
Doherty said that there had not yet been a formal identification, but detectives were working off the assumption that it was Chen.
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"There is a strong likelihood and the assumption that this is the body of [Chen] … This is an ongoing forensic search, we still need to identify the body which may be difficult due to the nature of the decomposition," Doherty said.
He also revealed key parts of the investigation, including that Chen's phone had been used by the alleged suspects following his assumed death.
"We believed it was used by a third party… that would be the people responsible for the murder of both [Li and Chen]," Doherty said.
Chen's phone was found in Queensland and detectives had uncovered a lead that two alleged suspects had fled overseas to Asia.
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He revealed detectives were working with authorities in Taiwan and China to track them down.
Doherty also told the media that Chen was most likely the target of the murder, and one line of inquiry for a motive was that he owed someone money.
