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Elizabeth (Ying) Zhong, 55, was last seen alive on Friday afternoon.
A body believed to be that of a missing Auckland businesswoman was found in a vehicle near her home in Auckland.
Elizabeth (Ying) Zhong, 55, was reported missing on Saturday morning and police later confirmed that they had found a body. Identification of the body had not yet been confirmed.
Investigators focused much of their attention on the trunk of the vehicle where the body was found, just a few blocks from Zhong’s home in Sunnyhills.
LAWRENCE SMITH / Things
Police at Suzetta Place in Sunnyhills, East Auckland, following the disappearance of Elizabeth (Yingh) Zhong.
Police are believed to have removed the body from the vehicle on Saturday night and took it away for forensic testing.
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There were police cordons on the street where the body was found on Saturday night.
Investigators treat the death as unexplained and an investigation is ongoing. An autopsy is scheduled to take place on Sunday.
Ricky Wilson / Stuff
Police officers stand guard at the home of Elizabeth (Ying) Zhong, a missing woman from Auckland.
The missing wealthy East Auckland businesswoman was reported missing from her $ 2 million home in Suzetta Pl, Sunnyhills, near Pakuranga, on Saturday morning.
On Sunday morning, several police cars could still be seen parked in front of Zhong’s house.
On Saturday night, in front of Zhong’s house, was her ex-husband, Frank Fu.
He said that he did not know what had happened but was afraid of foul play.
“I think … maybe she was murdered.”
George Block / Stuff
Frank Fu talks to the police outside Elizabeth (Ying) Zhong’s home in Auckland.
Fu, Zhong and their daughter, who now works for the Treasury in Wellington, came to New Zealand in 1997 for what Fu said were research work.
The couple separated in 2017 and Zhong had a new partner, he said.
Fu described Zhong as a very canny businesswoman whose interests now lie in the film industry.
“She is a very successful businesswoman,” Fu said.
Zhong is the sole director and shareholder of Digipost Entertainment Ltd.
Digipost is a visual effects company that has been involved in movies including Beyond the limit, on Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Everest, various commercials and TV movie promotions.
George Block / Stuff
Police in East Auckland, home of missing woman Elizabeth (Ying) Zhong.
The company went to work on a movie called Archived, to be produced by the director of Shrek, Andrew Adamson.
In 2018 Variety reported that Archived It was going to be a great live-action CGI fantasy movie about two lazy robots who worry about being replaced by humans.
It was established as a co-production between New Zealand and China with a production budget in the range of $ 20-40 million, Variety he said, and it was expected to be the first of several films to be jointly presented by Chinese fund Super Entertainment and Digipost.
Zhong was also the sole director and shareholder of the bankrupt Kennedy Point Group Ltd and Carrick Wines Ltd wine companies.
LAWRENCE SMITH / Things
Police guard the scene at Suzetta Place in Sunnyhills, East Auckland.
In february of last year Things reported that Zhong was selling Carrick Winery in Central Otago to help finance his film career.
He said at the time that due to political difficulties in China he did not receive the expected funds for the projects he was working on.
