A Toronto-area woman whose burned remains were found in a cottage-country community is believed to have been targeted and murdered, police said Thursday as they confirmed her death two weeks after she was reported missing.
York Regional Police said Yuk-Ying Anita Mui, a 51-year-old Markham, Ont., relator, was reported missing by her family on Aug. 9 and her car was later found in east Toronto.
Unidentified burned remains were found in Parry Sound, Ont., on Aug. 12, and police said the coroner has since confirmed those were Mui's remains.
"Based on all the evidence, the totality of the investigation, we believe she was murdered," Det. Sgt. Dave Gill said at a news conference on Thursday.
Police believe Mui went missing from an address in Stouffville, Ont., where she had been conducting a real estate transaction.
Investigators believe Mui may have been transported in a white 2019 Mercedes-Benz cargo van, and are asking for anyone to come forward who may have seen the vehicle at or around 3821 Vandorf Sideroad in Stouffville or in Parry Sound between Aug. 9 and Aug. 12.
Mui's remains were discovered by someone on a property in Parry Sound who contacted Ontario Provincial Police, York police said.
"We believe Miss Mui was targeted," said York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween.
"Our homicide unit will continue the investigation until we find the individuals responsible for her death."
No one has so far been charged in Mui's death, but police said three teen boys are facing fraud charges after they allegedly used Mui's credit cards at various locations across the Greater Toronto Area.
Those three teens all remain persons of interest in the case, police said.
"Their exact involvement as to what they did or what they had to do with the disappearance of Mui is being investigated," Gill said.
Police said one of the suspects, a 17-year-old from Whitby, Ont., has also been charged with several gun-related offences, while another, a 16-year-old from Toronto, is charged with failing to comply with a probation order.
Gill said two of the teens have been released on bail.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2024.
Sheila Reid, The Canadian Press
