PHOTO: The house where Yanfei Bao was last seen has been sold, much to the relief of the previous owners. STUFF PHOTOGRAPHERS/STUFF
Despite its grim connection to the alleged homicide, the property where Yanfei Bao was last seen has changed ownership. On July 25, the Trevor St property in Hornby underwent a thorough police investigation, six days after Harcourts real estate agent Yanfei Bao disappeared while preparing to show it to a prospective client.
It’s understood that forensic evidence indicating Bao’s potential demise was discovered during this investigation. Harcourts real estate agent Stevie Golding confirmed that the Christchurch home was sold at an auction held on August 23. However, he declined to provide further details regarding the buyer or the sale price. According to a neighbor, a middle-aged couple moved into the property approximately 2-3 weeks ago, though they were not present when media outlet Stuff visited.
A previous owner expressed relief that the property had been sold, considering the extensive media coverage of the investigation at the address to be quite stressful. She also mentioned that the negative publicity did not affect the sale price. She fondly recalled the property as a wonderful family home for 37 years before they relocated to Australia, hoping that the new owners could create their own cherished memories there.
Initially, the police visited the Trevor St home one day after Yanfei Bao’s disappearance but found no apparent signs of foul play. They permitted Harcourts to continue marketing the property and even held an open house three days later. However, a week after her disappearance, the police launched a homicide investigation, with Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves expressing doubts about Bao’s survival.
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On the day Bao disappeared, she had left her Avonhead home around 10 am and arrived at the property. At 11:16 am, she contacted her friend Jin Tian on the Chinese social media app WeChat, inquiring about how a Chinese buyer living in Christchurch could transfer $600,000 from China to purchase a house. Sometime after 12:30 pm, Bao’s silver Nissan car vanished from the street. Two Trevor St residents observed a vehicle belonging to Tingjun Cao, 52, elsewhere on the street on the same day. One resident reported seeing the silver Mitsubishi with registration DPH101 at 12:25 pm.
Cao has since been charged with the alleged kidnapping and murder of Bao. He has opted to plead not guilty, and a tentative trial date of October 21, 2024, has been scheduled, expected to last four weeks with the possibility of extending to a fifth week. Despite extensive searches, Bao’s body has yet to be located, with most efforts focused on the Greenpark area, a 30-minute drive from Christchurch.
Authorities are expanding their search efforts for missing real estate agent
SOURCE: STUFF